An Eye for An Eye
by Mele
Summary: Someone from Adam's past is after revenge, and Adam is not the one to pay.....WIP-Chapter Six added: Thorton is in custody as Jesse makes his first step toward reconnecting with reality
1. Part One Gone

**_Disclaimer:_**_  Mutant X and all its trimmings belong to Tribune Entertainment, Marvel Studios, and Fireworks Entertainment.  I am borrowing them for some non-profit fun.  _

**_Notes, timeline:_**_  Set early in the second season, after Body and Soul.  At this time I have no idea what the Powers That Be have in mind for the series, so if future events on the show go counter to what happens here....well, my crystal ball is on the blink.  Also, I hint at a background for Adam, Shalimar, and Jesse that goes back several years.  Again, canon has not given us much to go on at this time, so if future episodes indicate a different past between them, consider this an AU. _

**_Warnings_**_: Rated R for violence, reference to events of physical, mental and possibly sexual abuse._

**An Eye for An Eye**

**By Mele**

Brennan Mulwray had to smile as he watched Shalimar buzz past their picnic spot on the shore of the small, private lake.  The beautiful feral was clearly in her element on the Jet Ski; her shining blonde mane of hair flowing behind her, a smile of sheer joy illuminating her face.  

"I have a feeling she won't be coming back until she runs out of gas," Emma observed from beneath the wide brimmed sunhat she wore.

"Heh, I wouldn't count on her quitting even then," Jesse Kilmartin countered with a snort that was completely belied by a fond grin.  "You guys see now why I suggested she _not_ be given the first turn?"

"Well, she _has_ had a hard time of it recently," Brennan noted, his expression darkening as he remembered all that Gabriel Ashlocke had put her through.

"That she has," Jesse agreed, his own boyish face creased in a frown.  "It's good to see her happy."

Emma smiled at the guys' observations, not bothering to note that both of them had been nearly killed recently; Brennan by electrocution, Jess by nerve gas that had rendered his power to phase nearly fatal.  Romance had been no better; Brennan had fallen for a young woman trapped in a bubble universe, Jesse's girlfriend was killed, and Emma herself had nearly fallen for an extraterrestrial mutant.  They were all in dire need of rest and relaxation, and she planned to see they got what they needed.

"I imagine we can lure her back to shore with the lunch we packed," she suggested, indicating a large - and presumably well-stocked - picnic hamper sitting in the shade of a nearby tree.

Before either young man could respond, their attention was attracted by the sputtering sound of the engine approaching.  Shalimar Fox was carefully bringing the Jet Ski to shore, the grin still radiant in her sun-and-wind reddened face.

"Told you she'd come in when she ran it dry," Emma smirked, even as Jesses waded out to lend his petite teammate a hand.  The two fair-haired new mutants quickly secured the Jet Ski, then rejoined their teammates on the blanket.

"That was fantastic!" Shalimar exclaimed, shaking out her damp hair and ignoring the guys' protest as they were splattered with the cool moisture.  "I could have stayed out there all day."

"Gee, I hadn't noticed you seemed to enjoy yourself," Brennan countered dryly, standing to retrieve the basket of food.  "Any longer and you would have gone hungry."

"Never happen," the feral insisted, grinning at Emma conspiratorially.  "I have friends in high places."

"Oh?  And what do you mean by that?" Jesse wondered.

"I mean, if you'd tried to touch the food before I got back ashore, Emma would have zapped you good.  Us girls look out for each other," she grinned, matching the telempath's smirk.

"Oh, now I'm scared," Kilmartin laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.  

"You better be, Mister," Ms. deLauro insisted with a mischievous look.  "Or you'll spend the night imagining there are spiders crawling in your bed."

Jesse's expression was suddenly uncertain, he had no doubt Emma could indeed plant such an idea in his mind, and spiders were one of his many fears.  "Uh, you wouldn't really do that, would you?" he asked a bit uncertainly.

"Not unless you deserved it," Emma purred suggestively.  Then her grin broke through and the young man understood he was being teased...again.  

"Yeah, right," he smiled back good-naturedly, taking a big bite of the roast beef sandwich Shalimar had handed him.  "And just wait until the next time one of you needs to pass through a solid wall..." 

"Hey, I still owe you for the last time you got me stuck!" Emma complained, glaring at her teammate.

"Come on, Emma, that was an honest mistake," he defended himself, looking abashed.  "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Be that as it may, I still think it's worth at least one spider.  Maybe two," she replied seriously, before bursting into laughter at his woebegone expression.  Shalimar and Brennan, who'd been fighting to not snicker at their younger friends' exchange, joined in the merriment.  After a moment's pout Jesse gave in to the humor of the situation as well, his laughter mingling with that of the other three as they settled down to enjoy their repast.

After their hunger had been sated they decided on a leisurely stroll through the nearby wilderness before engaging in any more water sports.  They followed a well-worn trail that appeared to be frequented by local equestrians, nimbly avoiding the occasional 'organic debris' along the way. Their path took them along the base of a steep rock cliff, which immediately captured Shalimar's attention.

"How long do you think it would take to climb to the top of that?" she asked Brennan, her eyes alight with a feral delight.

"Me?  Oh, I don't know, a half hour or so.  You?  Probably five minutes," he laughed.  "Unless you don't use your feral abilities."

"Oh, I don't need my mutant abilities for this.  Come on, let's give it a shot!" she offered, already leading the others to the sheer face, giving a little hop of excitement as she contemplated the climb.  

"I always heard that swimming a half hour after eating is dangerous...just how safe is free climbing a cliff?" Jesse pondered as they followed Shalimar's lead.

"Well, it's pretty certain you won't drown, at least," Brennan pointed out, starting on his way upward.

"Oh, gosh...I feel so much better," the younger man mock-grumbled, starting up last.  

They were all soon absorbed in the intricacies of the climb, conversation waning as they concentrated on finding stable foot- and handholds.  When they could, they used different routes, though at one particularly tough area they had simply followed Shalimar's capable lead.   During one rest stop Brennan had pointed out a man standing near a dark van, apparently watching them climb.  Grinning, in high spirits and generally happy with the world at the moment, Shalimar waved at their observer, getting a strangely shy responding wave.

The top was nearly at hand when disaster struck without warning.

Emma had run into trouble, and Shalimar had backtracked to assist her, while the two men looked on.  Seeing that Shal had her female teammate once again moving upward, Brennan and Jesse resumed their climb.  As Jess stretched to reach a handhold, the seemingly secure protrusion he'd had his foot on gave way, sending the young molecular plunging to an almost certain death.

"Jesse!!!" Shalimar's anguished cry followed her falling friend, and the upset feral was hard pressed not to begin a leaping descent of her own.

Just before the falling body hit the ground so far below it suddenly began to glow an eerie red color, the sign that the molecular had massed himself.  With matching sighs of relief the remaining three members of Mutant X watched as Jesse hit the rocky ground below, much like a meteor might hit.  

Immediately the red glow faded and the stunned young man staggered to his feet, nearly stumbling over the lip of the small crater he'd created.  

"Oh, man, that is not something I want to do again," he grumbled to himself even as he turned his attention upward toward his teammates.  Raising a hand to signal he was uninjured, Jesse was startled by the sound of someone rapidly approaching through the nearby underbrush.

"Are you okay?" the stocky dark-skinned man asked breathlessly as he rushed up to Jesse's side.  Wide brown eyes roved over Kilmartin's frame, showing frank amazement at seeing the young man alive and apparently unharmed.

"Uh...yeah.  I must've hit a...soft spot," Jesse stammered, not quite up to any sort of sophisticated obfuscation so shortly after a fall like that.

"Thank God for miracles," the man agreed readily enough, laying a steadying hand on Jesse's shoulder.  

"Yeah."  Looking up again at his teammates, who were starting the climb down, the molecular tried to think of a polite way to tell the man to bug off.  He knew the others were reluctant to use their mutant abilities in the presence of the stranger, and Jesse worried that their upset at his close call could result in another accident, and the use of their special abilities to prevent serious injury.  If that happened it would be best if there were no witnesses; once could be a 'miracle', twice would be suspicious.

Hoping the man would take the hint if Jesse ignored him, the youngest member of the team kept his attention on the others; grateful to see they were concentrating fully on the descent.  So intent on his friends' activities, he didn't notice the stranger pulling a syringe from his pocket until he felt the sting of the injection.

He lost consciousness before he could even consider any sort of defensive maneuver.

~*~

"When we get down there I'm going to kick Jesse's butt," Shalimar declared, moving with concentrated grace down the sheer face of the cliff.  She had conveniently forgotten whose idea it was to make the treacherous climb in the first place, and neither of her companions was willing to risk her wrath by reminding her.  Pausing, the blonde feral glanced down to check on the object of her ire just in time to see the obviously unconscious young man be flung roughly into the back of the dark van.  The stocky figure of the stranger leapt in after the young mutant, pulling the side door closed behind him.

"Hey!  Hey, he's got Jess!" Shal cried out, beginning a swift descent using her mutant abilities.   "Bren, zap the van!"  She ordered as the vehicle roared off, heedless of the rough terrain.

Off balance and unprepared, Brennan still gave it his best shot, but was unable to hit the rapidly moving target.  Similarly, Emma had no chance to send out a telepathic assault before the van was well out of range.

"Dammit!" Shalimar growled from the base of the cliff, running over to where the van had been parked.  Shining in the hard-packed dirt was Jesse's com link, along with his computer watch.  "Adam, can you read me?  Adam?" she tried to contact the sanctuary while she watched Brennan and Emma finish their descent, chafing at the unavoidable delay.

"Adam?  Damn, what is this?" she frowned down at her com link, unable to believe their mentor wasn't responding.  Picking up a twig, she used the small probe to depress a recessed button on the ring, activating the emergency alert system at the sanctuary.  That way if Adam was just temporarily away from a com system outlet he would be alerted that his team was trying to reach him.

Moments later she was rewarded with the harried - but very welcome - sound of Adam Kane's voice over her the communications system.

"I'm here.  What's the situation."

"Adam, thank God.  Jesse's been kidnapped, you need to scan the immediate area for the van he was taken in," Shalimar advised him.

"Looking now," Adam didn't waste time with unnecessary questions, keying in the command and parameters for a search.    It wasn't until the computer indicated it was actively working did the Mutant X leader ask for additional details.

"What happened, Shalimar?  Are the others alright?"

Pacing in attempt to curb her anxiety, Shalimar gave Adam the rundown as to what had just transpired, all the while chafing as she monitored Emma and Brennan's slow but steady climb down.  She was almost finished when she heard him curse softly amidst an assortment of electronic beeps and pings.

"What's wrong, Adam?"

"It's gone.  The highway is too close, and too busy.  You and the others see if you can find any clues to the kidnapper's identity there, in the meantime I'll see what I can do about setting up a more specific search.  Don't worry, Shal.  We'll get him back.  We have to."

"Damn right we have to," the feral agreed, her brown eyes glowing yellow as her mutant powers surged with her emotions. 

~*~

Wanting and needing are not the same things as doing, as the Mutant X team soon learned.  All efforts to trace Jesse's abductor failed, and two full days passed without a single clue as to the whereabouts of the young molecular.  The remaining team members were growing steadily more anxious about their friend's fate, especially Shalimar who'd always been protective of the younger mutant. 

On the third morning after the kidnapping, as Adam attempted still more modification on the search, Emma checked the Sanctuary's email.  Amongst the usual updates from dozens of new mutants scattered through the globe was one that triggered a couple of security flags because of being sent from an unknown source and having a large attached file.

Not wanting to bother their mentor unnecessarily, Emma checked the firewalls were in place in the system, and then opened the message.  A picture filled the screen, bring a horrified gasp from the psionic as she recognized just what it was a picture of.

"Oh, my God!  _Adam_!"

Her call brought not only Adam, but Shalimar and Brennan as well, all of them crowding around the back of Emma's seat, their attention riveted on the image filling the computer screen.

"Jesse."  Shalimar's voice was shocked, and somehow broken sounding, as she identified the subject of the image that held them all spellbound.

The blond new mutant was in a cage, which looked to be at most six feet square and was situated in the middle of an empty expanse of floor.  The bars were padded, the outer layer comprised of a fine metal mesh, and they could see a thick coil of cables running from a far corner.  But what held their attention was the huddled figure in the far corner; nude and sporting an assortment of bruises, abrasions and what appeared to be burns.  The lighting was severe, as if numerous spotlights were focused on the young man, whose eyes were tightly closed in a face pinched into a pained grimace.  

Emma scrolled down, coming across two more pictures, taken from different angles, showing even more damage had been inflicted on the young molecular.  Adam's hand shook slightly as he pointed out something in the third photo.

"They've used a sub-dermal governor."

"So, this is...what?...an offshoot of the GSA?  This isn't their usual style," Brennan commented, shaking his head in the negative as he considered the situation.

"Yeah.  It's not like they don't do torture, but they're usually a little more...subtle," Emma added.

"And what's with all the padding?  They afraid he'll hurt himself before they can?  Can we trace this email?  Come on Adam, we have to find some way to get him out of there!" Shalimar was growing more agitated as she looked at the photos of her oldest friend.  The feral in her was horrified at the sight of anything...anyone...being caged unjustly, and her naturally strong protective instincts were going into overdrive.

Brennan put a calming arm around the blonde woman's shoulders, as Emma scrolled slowly past the third picture to the message printed at the bottom.

"Adam.

I trust I have your attention now?  That's always been a problem with you.  So focused on what YOU want, you don't notice anyone else.  It's a shame this young fellow has to be the one to pay this time, but that's something else that doesn't change.  Others suffer for your single-minded pursuit of what YOU think is the right thing.  

Let me explain to you how this is going to work.  I will send you an email every day or two.  They may, or may not, contain pictures.  They _will_ contain information as to what I am doing to young Mr. Kilmartin, and from that you will have to surmise who I am.  Once you know who I am, you should be easily enough able to find my website.  On the website is a file with directions to Mr. Kilmartin's location.  At that time you can collect him...or whatever is left of him.  Depends entirely on how long it takes.  

So, on that note, let the games begin!

So far our young friend hasn't been hurt too badly.  A few bruises, a couple of burns.  Nothing too horrific, yet.  Mostly he's not been able to sleep; bright lights, sudden sounds, jolts of electricity.  Keeps him off balance, he can't seem to relax enough to sleep more than a few minutes. Already his grip on rationality is starting to slip a little.  I'm a little disappointed, I can't help but think Fox or Mulwray would have made more durable subjects, but one cannot be that particular under these circumstances.

But enough for this time.  You go start your research, see if you can figure out who I am, and imagine all the things I can do to your young friend in the meantime.  I'll be in touch...

A Friend"

"Oh, my God.  What kind of person would do this?" Emma wondered softly, her gaze returning of their own volition to the pictures of their missing teammate.

"Someone with one hell of a grudge," Shalimar answered angrily, fixing Adam with an uncompromising glare.  "Any idea who this guy could be?"

"I wish I knew.  Obviously he's someone who has a grudge against me, but it's from my days with Genomex or from a more recent situation, I do not know.  We need to concentrate first on what we do know.  Namely, one, he - or she - has knowledge of and access to technology pertaining to new mutants.  Two, they're intelligent and devious; according to this report, this email is untraceable.  Three, they apparently have no qualms about using an innocent bystander as a pawn to exact their revenge - it's very clear that they don't have any issues with Jess personally."  Adam paced restlessly, the fingers of his right hand pinching the area between his eyes as he continued to ponder the situation.

"Emma, assemble a database of all former associates and employees of Genomex and GSA, cross reference it to any reported instances of...kidnapping, torture, incarceration.  I'm getting a distinct feeling of 'an eye for an eye' attitude from this guy.  Brennan, you and Shalimar hit the streets; see what our contacts may have heard.  Be discreet, we don't want to scare this person into running and taking Jesse with them.  I'm going to get in touch with a couple of MY sources with this new information, see if anything has been heard.  Keep in touch, and report any findings - no matter how trivial sounding - immediately."

Each member of Mutant X immediately set about their assigned tasks, determination plain in their confident manner and steady eyes.  But five hours later, sitting around a Tai dinner they simply picked at, that determination had withered to anguished despair as no leads could be found.  Sleep came slowly that night, and what little rest any of them got was spoiled by visions of their good-natured friend's suffering at the hands of someone who didn't even know him.

The next day they all haunted the room that contained the main computer station, until Emma quietly announced that the expected email had arrived.  Much as Adam would have preferred not letting his charges read the message, there was no way to avoid it.  

"Adam,

So, nothing yet?  Have you tried looking past the obvious?  Thinking your way around the corners of logic, prodding in the dark recesses of possibility?  Were your dreams haunted by the ghostly echoes of a young man's cries of pain?  I hope you got some rest; your young friend didn't.  Sadly, he's not coping real well.

I thought it would comfort him to know why he was going through this torment, I told him how it was all your fault.  How if he wasn't a freak, he'd not have this happening to him.  You know....he doesn't like being called a freak, it seems.  Gets him pretty riled up.  Which is probably a good thing, seeing as how the anger makes the pain easier to deal with.  Or so the psychologists say.  Can't really ask him, he's not quite as coherent as he used to be.

Ah, but more news later...I know how busy you are.

A Friend."

"I can't believe this bastard!" Brennan grumbled angrily, small bolts of electricity leaping between his fingers as his emotions raged.  "Like it's some kind of joke to him.  A game."

"I'd like to play a game with him," Shalimar growled, her eyes a feral yellow.  

"We don't have time for this," Adam reminded them even as his fingers flew over the keyboard.  "I'm attempting to trace this email to its source.  It might give us a clue to his identity.  In the meantime, I need you guys to check the recent news on Proxy Blue for anything that might even remotely relate to Jesse's abduction. Emma, are you finished with that database cross-referencing?  No?  Then why don't you give her a hand, Shal, while Brennan checks the news.  We can't give up, we WON'T give up."  Adam glanced up at his young team, his brown eyes grave.

With varying degrees of protest they dispersed to their assignments, leaving their mentor to continue backtracking the email message.  Not for the first time he mentally cursed the fact the kidnapper had grabbed the most technologically gifted of his group.  

He really could have used Jesse's assistance.

~*~

Seven days passed.  Seven days that brought five more emails; three with additional pictures.  The only thing worse than reading the recap of Jesse's torment, or seeing the physical effects, was having no message at all.  Those two days were particularly hard for the remaining members of Mutant X, each of them haunted by the thought that there was no message because there was no Jesse.  The arrival of the next email was nearly a cause for celebration under the circumstances, regardless of how much worse their friend appeared to be.  

The seventh day's missive contained more images of their missing comrade's ordeal, pictures the others could barely stand to look at.  Jesse was obviously not being fed, but that only highlighted the other problems, providing a canvas upon which depictions of pain could be drawn.  There were open sores in various stages of either healing or infection covering all areas of the young molecular's body, with the exception of his face.  That alone remained unmarked, save the deep shadows surrounding the blue eyes that were tightly pinched shut.  Those dark smudges were too symmetrically shaped to be bruises, too evenly colored; it was plain they were a side effect of exhaustion and illness.  The rest of his visage was unnaturally pale - further sign of his general unhealthiness - and the obvious lines of tension showed he was awake and in pain.  

Below the pictures was a message from Jesse's abductor.

"Adam, Adam, Adam....

I really thought you could do better than this.  How much do you think this boy can withstand?  I'm doing the best I can by him; keep him clean (I use a nice high-pressure hose so I'm sure it gets all the muck off), feed him (even if he rarely even tries to eat it), water him.  He's not allowed outside where someone might hurt him, I keep him safe.  I don't do experiments on him.  I tell him that's it not his fault, it's all an unfortunate accident of nature.   

It doesn't help.  Never did, you know.

You'd best try to hurry it up, this boy is running out of time.

A Friend"

Shalimar reached an unsteady hand toward the picture still visible above the short message, one gentle finger ghosting over the miserable figure huddled in a corner of the cage.  Tears shone in her dark brown eyes, temporarily dousing the flames of anger that usually glowed there when dealing with a new email.

"We've got to find him, Adam.  Why can't we find him?"  For the moment her voice was young and uncertain, reminding Adam of the youngster she'd been when he first met her.

Adam absently comforted the blonde feral, his mind obviously elsewhere.  Shalimar, well versed in analyzing Adam Kane's behavior, noticed that immediately and turned anxious eyes to the man who had helped her find a path in life.

"What is it Adam?  What are you thinking?"

"Emma, please bring the message portion of his emails up together, in the order they were received," he requested, his entire demeanor reflecting his intent focus on whatever idea had hit him.

"Assembling them now.  What are we looking for?" the psionic asked as the messages appeared on the main computer screen.

"A pattern.  There's something about what he's doing to Jesse, the ways he's tormenting him.  Look.  Here."  He pointed to a phrase on the first message.  

"...he's not been able to sleep; bright lights, sudden sounds, jolts of electricity"

Then on to the second message.

"...how if he wasn't a freak, he'd not have this happening to him"

He moved on through the messages in order, pointing out pertinent phrases.

"...nervous and restless, a lot of discomfort.."

"He can't escape the torment, it follows him no matter what he tries..."

"...getting progressively more withdrawn, depressed..."

"...over the edge, nearly catatonic..."

"...requiring I take care of his every physical need..."

Ending with a bit of that day's message.

"...not allowed outside where someone might hurt him, I keep him safe."

"I'm not seeing what you mean," Brennan confessed, a puzzled frown wrinkling his brow.  "Obviously, Jesse is getting worse, but...that's also obviously what this psycho planned all along.  What are you seeing there?"

"Remember when you first became aware of your powers?  When you were still learning how to control them?"  Adam paused to glance at each of his three younger companions.  "I think Shalimar may be getting the idea.  I know from her expression Emma is.  Before you learned control, your powers were...inconvenient.  Right?  And each time they increase, you have to strengthen that control, right?"  Nods all around at that observation.

"Okay.  Now, what makes you three - and Jesse - so powerful is not necessarily your powers, but your CONTROL of your powers.  Don't get me wrong; you powers are strong.  Very strong.  But it's your control that gives you the edge.  So...what if you didn't have that control?  What would happen then?"  Adam paused, letting the idea sink in, letting their quick minds start down the path he was exploring.

"Our powers would drive us insane," Shalimar said quietly, but with dawning comprehension.  "Wait a minute...what he's describing in the early emails...bright lights, loud sounds...sudden pains...that what it's like when my powers go haywire.  I got sick a couple of years ago, and EVERYTHING was...whacko.  Everything was too loud, too bright, too hot, too cold...just too much.  Are you saying you think he's trying to simulate what a feral experiences if their control is gone?"

"I think so.  And then in the more recent ones, his focus is on how he's taking care of Jesse, providing for his needs.  As if he had been...institutionalized..." Kane's voice trailed off as he paced quickly, almost as if he were trying to run the solution down.  "We went about the searches wrong.  We need to go back to the databases, but this time look for new mutants who have been institutionalized or have committed suicide.  No...spread the search out further.  The facility might not have known about new mutants.  Look for patients with sensory input issues.  That's at least a good place to start."  He stopped and faced his team.  "Let's get working on it, Jesse's time is running out."

~*~

Emma stood up wearily, stretching her arms over her head and slowly twisting her body to the right, moaning softly as cramped muscles protested the movement.  Her auburn hair swung as she rolled her head, shrugging her shoulders to further loosen them.  A soft chuckle caught her attention, and she turned to find Adam studying her with a half smile.

"Been sitting too long, huh?" he queried gently as he reached out to massage her still tense shoulders.

"Yeah.  I don't know how Jesse can sit and work on the computers for hours on end.  I get too stiff if I don't move around often."

"I suspect it's from years of practice," he replied with a fond chuckle.  "Have you found anything at all?"  

"Nothing very promising, I'm afraid.  I got the joy of looking for reports of suicides, with unique circumstances.  Got a few that might have potential, but can't link them to Genomex at all.  We've expanded the search since the Genomex and GSA databases didn't provide any clues," Emma reported, regretfully stepping away from the soothing massage.  "We should check with Shalimar and Brennan, maybe they had some luck."

"I think we all need a break, in any case.  I'm thinking it might be a good thing for all of us to get out for a little while; maybe go into town for dinner.  It's not going to help Jess any if we all collapse from stress, now will it?" he asked, cutting off the protest he saw her gathering to launch.  All of them had been putting in long hours trying to find their missing friend; exhaustion was showing in dull eyes and fraying tempers.

"You're right, you're right, I know you're right.  But somehow it just doesn't seem fair for us to go out and have a good time while Jesse is going through...that.  I wish I could get a reading...anything...off him."  Emma had tried repeatedly to use her mutant powers to locate her friend, with absolutely no success.

"We just have to keep trying, not give up.  And that includes making sure we keep ourselves healthy enough to continue the search.  Now come on, let's collect the others and take a break."  Adam ushered Emma toward the lab, where Shalimar and Brennan were still working on their searches.

"Adam!  Emma!  I think we have something!"  Shalimar's shout spurred the two into a jog, bringing them to the lab in a matter of seconds, where they found the other two excitedly comparing information.

"We might have it," Brennan confirmed, answering the question he plainly saw in Adam and Emma's eyes.  

"What have you got?" their mentor asked briskly, maintaining a firm hold on his emotions.

"Does the name 'Dwayne Thorton' ring any bells?"

"Dwayne Thorton?"  Kane's expression grew distant at the mention of the name; puzzled and somewhat wary.

"Yeah.  From what we've traced back on him, he worked at Genomex very early on, a lower echelon researcher.  He was married, and -if we are reading this right - their son may have ended up being a new mutant.  Thorton left Genomex abruptly, pretty much disappearing from sight for several years.  Next we find trace of him, his boy - Daniel - was attending a special school near San Francisco," Brennan reported.

"What kind of special school?" Emma asked.

"For the emotionally disturbed.  High-risk kids; drug users, suicide attempts, self-mutilation, bi-polar, schizophrenic...you name it, they've got it.  Seems young Daniel was 'delusional' and suicidal.  Claimed he could hear and see better than average, was prone to fits of hyper-activity.  Aggressive behavior.  They drugged him to the gills and 'educated' him," Shalimar continued, contempt plain her in voice.

"He was a feral with no control."  It was a statement, not a question, from Adam.

"Sure sounds like it.  But if that's the case...his dad worked for Genomex, he certainly should have understood his condition; that it didn't call for drugs and institutionalization.  You can't learn to control your powers if you're zoned out on Thorazine," Brennan commented with some heat.

"You didn't answer the question, Adam.  Do you recognize the name?" Emma prompted their mentor, her feelings about the Thorton's method of dealing with Daniel's powers mixed.  She had lived in denial of her own mutant abilities for most of her life; that gave her a far different perspective than either Shalimar or Brennan, both of whom reveled in their powers.

The sigh Adam released was so deep it seemed to originate in his toes.  "We went to college together.  I was already working for Genomex, taking some extra classes to improve my chances of advancement.  I met Dwayne in Advanced Zoology, we were lab partners.  He was bright, funny, ambitious...and incredibly tenacious.  I don't know how to explain it; we just became friends. Which was rare for me; I didn't make friends easily," he chuckled a little at some memory.  "You met me in that era, you know what I mean.  He called me 'Super Nerd', claimed he was fulfilling his sacred duty to Truth, Justice, and the American Way by being my faithful sidekick, 'Geek Guy'.  You know, I even served as an usher at his wedding."

"What happened?"

"I honestly have never been sure.  He and Nancy got married right after he graduated and was promoted to a research position.  Then Danny was born, and suddenly every time I saw Dwayne he picked an argument with me.  He never mentioned anything wrong or unusual about his boy - never mentioned him at all, actually.  Then, without notice, Dwayne was gone.  I tried to contact him, but never had any luck.  If you want to know the absolute truth, I figured Genomex had fired him, perhaps threatened him.  It wouldn't have been that unusual.  So after a time I gave up, and quite frankly forgot all about him in the chaos of the next few years."

"Well, now it looks like he's back," Shalimar pointed out with barely contained anger.  "You have any idea how to find this website he talked about?"

"In those days he had a real interest in American Pit Bulls, was very involved in a group that was dedicated to saving the dogs.  He used to run a site called 'It's the Pits', as I recall.  Bring up a search engine and see if you can find a website called that."  He'd not even finished speaking when Brennan typed in the request.  Seconds later a list of sites appeared on his monitor.

"Lots of hits, but we may have gotten lucky, this site is actually named 'It's the Pits'."  Mulwray clicked on the link as the others grouped behind his seat.  

"It looks like the right site," Adam reported, as a large picture of a pit bulldog filled the screen.  "Scroll down, he probably has a link to a special page with the information on Jesse.  There!  Click on that."  He pointed to a small, untitled icon that looked like the cartoon character Atom Ant.

Brennan did as requested without comment, and a log in screen popped up requesting a user name and password.  "Now what?" the elemental asked testily.

"Put in 'super nerd' for the user, and 'geek guy' for the password," Adam suggested.

"We're in!"

The picture on the screen now was an aerial view of a city, with a bright red 'X' marked in the middle.  Below were written directions to a city several hundred miles away, and to an abandoned warehouse within that city.  No further information was provided, nor was it needed; Adam was certain the data provided was accurate and true.

"The Dwayne Thorton I knew was a young man of honor," he noted.

"Oh?  And it's a sign of honor when the man kidnaps an innocent victim and tortures him for over a week in order to seek revenge on someone else?" Shalimar asked contemptuously.  "Not exactly a textbook definition of honor."

Adam declined to respond to the blatant hostility in the blonde feral's comments, preferring to concentrate on that which could be constructive.  "We need to get together some medical supplies; Emma you're in charge of that.  Brennan, get the Helix ready to go.  Shalimar, go into Jesse's quarters and gather up some clothing for him, maybe a familiar blanket or other item that might be of comfort to him.  We'll be leaving in ten minutes."

The young mutants put their anger aside and quickly dispersed to do Adam's bidding, recognizing that now was not the time for a lengthy argument.  Every minute that Jesse spent in that hell was another minute too many.  

Within an hour the members of Mutant X arrived on the roof of the designated warehouse, the Helix in stealth mode to prevent detection.  Entering the large building via the roof access door, they let Shalimar take the lead; depending on her feral senses to quickly locate their missing friend.

Moving with feline grace, the young woman led them down to the floor level without incident.  From there she stealthily traversed two large rooms before stopping motionless in a doorway leading to a well-lit area.

"Jesse," she whispered as the other three stood behind her, temporarily paralyzed by their shock.

The cage that had been evident in all the photos sent to them was situated in the middle of the concrete floor.  Nine harsh spotlights focused on the small enclosure, and a steady stream of hissing 'white noise' interspersed with sudden loud noises and scathing litanies of abuse emerged from four speakers.  Jesse Kilmartin was huddled in one corner, his nude body curled into a fetal position, and even from a distance away they could see the tremors racking him and his lips moving in a soundless dialog.

"Come on, let's get him out of there," Brennan declared, ready to rush forward.

"No, wait!" Emma placed a restraining hand on her teammate's muscular arm, her tone of voice enough to halt the elemental's progress.  

"What?" he asked testily.

"We can't just go rushing in there."  Emma flinched a little under the intense gazes suddenly fixed on her, but she wouldn't back down.  "He's terrified, even now while he's alone.  If we go rushing in there he'll panic.  I...I can't feel a sense of...it's like he doesn't even know who he is anymore.  I don't think he'll recognize us.  Even if he does, we still need to go easy on him.  Okay?"

"I bet he'll recognize me," Shalimar claimed, turning a worried expression toward the unaware prisoner.

"Emma's right, we have to take this slow.  And, Shal, I agree that you should be the one to try to approach him.  Until we get a good idea of what his mental condition is we need to be very cautious," Adam counseled them, herding them quietly ahead of him to a grouping of machines situated near the cage.

"Go ahead and see if he'll let you near, and we'll see what all this is for, and shut off that recording."

"Thank God.  That is getting on my nerves," Brennan muttered, scanning over the various pieces of equipment.  Finding what he wanted he twisted a dial, cutting off the offensive noise in mid invective.  In the sudden silence they turned to watch Shalimar approaching Jesse, hoping their worry about his mental status was unwarranted.

When the recording was cut off Jesse immediately stiffened, a low whimpering sound coming as he tried to hunch even closer into his corner.  Shalimar's soothing litany stumbled a bit at his reaction and she shot a questioning look at her teammates.

"Turn it back on, Brennan!" Emma hissed at him, her gaze locked on the tormented young man in the enclosure.  

"What?  Why??"

"I think when Dwayne would come in and hurt him, he turned off the recording.  If that's the case, then he associates the lack of that sound as the predecessor to physical pain.  The images I'm getting from him are so strong, so...awful.  Just...just turn it back on, please," the redheaded psionic pleaded, suddenly pale.

"Do it Brennan," Adam added, noting that Jesse calmed almost immediately and the silent chanting had resumed.  He also had noticed that even when Jesse was agitated he still didn't open his eyes or look around.  Something else to worry about.  "And see if you can kill some of those spotlights, would you?"

"Sure."

"I've got an idea," Emma blurted suddenly, turning and hurrying out the way they'd come.  Adam and Brennan glanced at each other with simultaneous shrugs before returning to their objectives, while Shalimar continued to reassure Jesse as she crept closer to the injured young man's side.

Shal was almost within reach of Jesse when Emma arrived back, a number of CD cases in her hands.  The psionic gestured for Brennan to join her at one of the consoles, and a few moments later the unpleasant white noise and abusive words were replaced with the soothing sounds of nature interspersed with melodious woodwinds.  Shalimar recognized a recording they often used in meditation exercises and shot a grateful look at her female teammate.  They'd made the change almost seamlessly, and Jesse showed none of the fear he'd displayed when the background noise had been turned off.

Turning her attention back to the blond molecular, Shalimar gradually moved a little closer to her teammate, keeping up a soothing litany of reassurance all the while.  It took nearly twenty minutes to work her way close enough to lay one warm hand on Jesse's icy shoulder, garnering a shudder of fear from the young man.  Keeping her touch gentle and calming, the young woman displayed admirable patience as she slowly - nearly imperceptivity - moved closer and closer, until finally she was sitting at his side, with her hand rubbing comforting circles on Kilmartin's shoulders. 

Keeping Shalimar between himself and Jesse, Adam quietly passed a first aid kit through to the young woman, who opened it one handed and extracted some pre-moistened pads.  She realized Jess needed far more than just surface wounds cleaned, but it would take time to gain his confidence enough to allow for the more serious injuries to be treated.  Her intention was to get him accustomed to her touching him, maybe get him to understand she was helping him, then try to figure out how to get him the hell out of the cage and back to the Sanctuary.

Adam added a hand-held scanner to the first aid kit, along with a bottle of water, then backed away, giving them the illusion of privacy while remaining close enough to help if needed.  Brennan had turned off all but two of the six spotlights, so at least the area was not so glaringly bright anymore. With nothing left they could do except wait, Emma strode quietly out of the immediate area, her right hand unconsciously rubbing her forehead.  After a moment's contemplation, Brennan followed, leaving Adam to watch the pair in the cage.

~*~

"Hey, you okay?" the dark haired elemental asked, standing behind Emma's spot near a ground level access door.

"I just needed to get some distance between myself and Jesse.  His feelings are so...strong.  So immediate.  Pain.  Fear.  Confusion.  Despair.  All right there, on the surface.  I tried to read him, and I couldn't even get past those emotions.  It's like that's all that's left of Jess.  No humor, no intelligence, no wonder at the world.  Jesse's normally such a bright mind, full of quick intellect and good-natured wit.  Shiny, and somehow untarnished, even with what he's been through in his life.  He's got the most incredible optimism, and this strong sense of duty and a protective streak you'd never believe.  You think Shalimar's protective of him?  Trust me, Brennan, it's reciprocated in spades.  But, that's all gone now,  and I pray that it's simply buried, and not totally destroyed.  Because, if it has been destroyed, then we won't be able to get Jesse back."  Emma reached up and rubbed the tears from her face, sniffling a little before turning to face her teammate again.

"We just got to believe he's still in there, Emma.  You know, I always kind of thought of Jesse as a boy scout.  I don't mean that in a mean way...well, at least not any more," he chuckled a little ruefully as he pulled the psionic into a comforting hug.  "And like a good boy scout, he's gone and taken cover until rescue comes.  I just know it.  And you got to know it, too.  Okay?"

"I hope you're right, Brennan," she mumbled into his shoulder, gratefully taking the comfort offered.  "It's a good theory, actually."

"Hey, you aren't the only one who understands how minds work, you know?"  A slightly watery sounding giggle met that declaration, bringing a smile to Mulwray's face.  "Though I'm better at other things, like maybe making sure our perimeter is secure.  Feel up to exploring the rest of this place, making sure we don't have any uninvited guests?  We can start by securing this door here."

Grateful to have something to keep their minds occupied, and keep them out of the main room where Jesse was, the two New Mutants set about their task, both having found a small measure of comfort from each other.

~*~

tbc


	2. Part Two Found

**_Author's Note:_**_  Thank you to the kind folks who have left reviews, they have been VERY much appreciated.  Because of my career choice, I have very limited time to write in the first three and a half months of the year.  That is my sorry excuse for the short chapter that has been so long in coming.  If I can survive past April 15 things should move along a lot quicker.  Maybe.  Kinda…I hope. **grin**_

**An Eye For An Eye**

**Part Two**

By Mele 

Adam was slowly but surely figuring out what all the various controls and devices near the cage did.  And what he was discovering made him sick.  It appeared the fine mesh covering the bars was not padding, but an electrical grid that had been used to torture Jesse.  Along with delivering jolts of electricity, they could be either heated or chilled to excruciating levels.  The speakers located on either side of the enclosure could produce a level of sound that was physically painful, and coiled to the side was a thick industrial hose with a high-pressure nozzle.  A roll-top toolbox contained various tools, as well as an assortment of leather straps, paddles, a cattle prod, and, in the bottom compartment, a couple of dildos along with a jar of mentholated ointment.  A stark metal examination table with strategically placed restraints stood like a cold idol along the near wall.

"Oh, God," he sighed, cradling is face in his hands, then slowly pulling them downward.  In the cage, Shalimar was still working to soothe her friend, cleaning the 'safe' areas first, treating the small wounds until she gained enough of Jesse's trust to go on to the more serious injuries.   As if sensing Adam's feelings, the feral turned her gaze to the older man, questions clear in the dark brown eyes.

"It's okay, Shal, you're doing great," he called out gently, grateful when she turned her attention back on her injured friend.  There were times he wondered if Emma's powers hadn't rubbed off on her feral teammate.

Turning back to his explorations, his mind turned over the possibilities already presented by what he'd uncovered.  Unconsciously switching off his emotions, forgetting for a the time being that the victim in this case was a young man he considered a son in all but birth, his science-trained mind listed the atrocities Jesse had endured.  

Sleep deprivation.  Starvation.  Painful levels of noise.  Electrical shocks.  Nearly continuous verbal abuse.  Physical abuse by blows, burns, and high pressure water.  Probable sexual abuse.  He had been taken against his will; stripped of his dignity, his power, his identity.  Isolated, taunted and tortured.  

How in the hell was he supposed to put Jesse back together again after all that?

Adam loved his younger charges, each one individually.  It was a paternal love, combined with a scientist's odd detachment.  The father in him loved them for their spirits, their generosity, their courage.  The special, unique persons they each were, mutant powers aside.  And the scientist recognized and categorized their individual weaknesses.  Shalimar's impetuousness, Brennan's temper, Emma's emotional withdrawal.  And Jesse's insecurities.

Much as his mind balked at the idea, Adam had to agree with one comment Dwayne had made; Shalimar or Brennan would have more likely been able to endure Thorton's abuse with less damage than Jess had.  Not that he'd wish what Kilmartin had endured on anyone, friend or enemy.  

Shaking himself from his thoughts, it took him a moment to understand the significance of the items he found himself staring at.  A stack of flat rectangular boxes.  A dozen or so.  

Video tapes.

The son-of-a-bitch had taped his abuse of the defenseless young man.  Feeling sick inside, Adam's first gut reaction was to consider asking Brennan to flash fry the whole collection.  Wipe this abomination from the face of the earth.  But that impulse was rejected with the bleak realization that he might end up needing to know what exactly was done to Jesse, in order to counter it.  And that brought him to the insight that that was exactly what Thorton had intended.  

It wasn't enough to know what had been done to Jesse.  No, Thorton wouldn't be satisfied unless Adam was forced to actually witness the abuse in all its detail.  And Adam knew that those tapes would not only provide pictures, but sound as well.  Nothing but the best for Dwayne Thorton's revenge.

Guilt, anguish and sorrow ripped through Kane's body like a wave, and the normally calm and collected man ended up rushing to the bathroom he'd discovered earlier, where he lost his last meal violently in the mucky toilet.

Emerging a few minutes later, he met Brennan and Emma, who eyed the still pale man with more than a little concern.

"What happened, Adam?" the psionic asked anxiously, laying a comforting hand on the older man's arm.

"Probably just something I ate," Adam lied, patting Emma's hand absent-mindedly.  "Where have you two been?"

"Securing the perimeter," Brennan reported, settling himself on the edge of a nearby table and turning his moody gaze to the pair inside the cage.  "How's she doing with him?"

"Okay.  Slow going, though.  We may be here a while, did you happen to notice if there was someplace suitable for us to set up as a temporary living area?"

"Yeah, through that door there would work.  Central location, we can use supplies from the Helix to make it more livable.  Obviously there's a water hookup somewhere, and we brought enough survival gear to get us by for a few days if needed.  Guess Emma and I could get started on that," Brennan mused, not sounding particularly enthralled with the idea but willing to do whatever was necessary.

Adam huffed out a weary sigh before turning his attention more fully on the two young people.  "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea.  Jesse's been through enough, I don't want to rush it.  Though you two could go back to Sanctuary, if you'd prefer," he suggested.

"No way, man.  We're here, right Emma?"

"That's right.  We aren't leaving until we all leave," the redhead added emphatically.

"Emma, could you…you know…HELP Jess?  Make him feel better, somehow?" Brennan asked diffidently.  The elemental had seen the powerful potential in Emma's powers, how she could use them with surprising accuracy as a weapon, yet he still felt uncomfortable with the 'softer' side of her powers.

"I wish I could, Brennan.  I really wish I could.  But…I think he'd see anything I did right now as an attack, no matter if it made him feel better.  He's so close to the edge, if not already over it, I just couldn't risk it," Emma said sadly, her mournful gaze returning to their injured friend.

"I agree," Adam added solemnly.  "And, at the risk of sounding cruel, if Jesse's going to come back, he's going to have to do it the hard way.  I'm afraid taking any 'shortcuts' would cause more damage in the long run, and that's a risk I'm not willing to take.  We're going to have to trust that with time, patience and love Jesse will recover; that he has enough strength to fight his way back to us.  We have to ALL believe he can do that, and I trust he really can."

"Okay, I guess I see your point.  Maybe.  But you're right - it does sound cruel.  If we could ease his mental pain while he physically recovers, what's the harm in that?" Mulwray wanted to know.

"The harm in that is that there is a very real danger that putting off forcing him to deal with the emotional fallout of his ordeal could result in his never dealing with it.  It's rather like…say…an alcoholic, who has to hit bottom before he can admit there's a problem.  In a very real way, emotionally, Jesse's at rock bottom right now.  If we lend him false strength, then he may have to 'fall' again to get to the point where he can really be helped.  I'd rather not see that happen.  And based on conversations I've had with him over the years, he wouldn't want that either.  Jess is a pretty straight-forward sort of young man, and I honestly believe if he was in any condition to make his own choices, he'd choose to fight his way back without Emma shielding him emotionally," Adam explained in an unusually diffident manner; so unlike his normally assertive, self assured manner of speech.

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt him," the psionic argued, looking wounded at the idea she'd harm her friend.

"No, I know that Emma.  I do.  That's not what I meant.  It's just that I'm worried that if his emotional state is as fragile as I suspect it is, he won't be able to stand any tampering at all.  Do you understand?"

Emma sighed deeply, her mournful gaze wandering the Shalimar and Jesse.  "I get it Adam.  And I do agree, though I know where Brennan's question is coming from.  It's so hard to be so close, to see him hurting so much, and not be able to help.  What about if I projected a 'broad band' feeling of…reassurance?  Maybe it would help.  Maybe even help all of us," she suggested.

"What did you have in mind?" their mentor asked.

"Just something to soothe us all.  Like the feeling you get from listening to your favorite comfort music, or wrapping up in your softest old sweater.  Nothing to alter, just something to calm us all," she suggested.

"You can do that?" Brennan asked with frank amazement in his tone.  "How can you do that?"

"What I have in mind would be like…projective meditation.  I'll meditate first, gather up all the calm I can, then release it to us all.  Kind of like a mental 'fragrance', with me as the 'candle', if that makes sense.  I've never exactly tried this, but I think it can work.  I can't see why not, anyway.  Should I give it a try?"

"Sure.  It's a sound theory, and based on the recent developments with your mutant abilities, I agree…it should work," Adam approved, smiling warmly at the young woman.  "And God knows we could all use some soothing."

"I'll get on it," she replied briskly, looking around for a comfortable spot to work from.  Settling in a warm patch of sunlight provided by one of the high, dusty windows, Emma soon dropped into a meditative state.

"I'll tell you, Adam.  Every day it seems we find a new reason to be glad Emma is on our side, you know?" Brennan commented with a sly smile.  "I definitely wouldn't want her as an enemy."

"I know what you mean.  It's amazing how much her abilities and confidence have grown," Kane smiled back, before sobering again.  "Would you mind setting up a living area for us in the next room.  I need to keep an eye on them," he requested, indicating the pair in the cage.

"No problem.  Whatever it takes, man," the elemental agreed, clapping Adam on the back before heading back to the other room to determine what he needed to do.

~*~

Shalimar had been peripherally aware of the conversation between Adam, Brennan and Emma, but had ignored them as she concentrated on her troubled best friend.  She'd successfully cleaned a dozen or more of his smaller injuries, mostly on his back and shoulders, all the while keeping up a soothing litany of reassurance.  

Jesse was still muttering something, though she was barely able to hear him at all; his voice had a breathless, surreal quality she'd never heard before.  Still, the cadence of the words sounded oddly familiar, and she turned her attention more intently on him, trying desperately to understand what was so important to him that he'd keep saying it over and over.  At last she was able to decipher the words enough to recognize the phrase, and a fist tightened over her heart yet again.

"I am not a freak; I am special, and wanted, and loved.  I am not a freak; I am special and wanted and loved…"  
It was a mantra she'd taught him years ago, when his sensitive spirit had been wounded over and over by the cruelty of those who didn't understand the special abilities he possessed.  She doubted that anyone else knew it, but Jesse had told her that even his own mother had called him a freak a time or two.  The young man's eyes had filled with tears when he confessed that, even though he tried valiantly to hide them from Shalimar.

When Shal's reaction to that confession was a tirade against Jesse's mom, Jess had jumped in to defend his parent, an act that had at first confused the feral.  How could he defend someone who had hurt him so much, even if it was his mother?  Still young herself, she eventually came to understand his position, and puzzled over how to help her new friend.  Finally turning to Adam for advice, it was he who suggested teaching Jesse a self-fortifying mantra to counter the verbal abuse he'd experienced over the years.  The idea was Adam's, but the words were Shalimar's, and apparently they had been taken very much to heart.

It sounded like Jesse had used those words as a lifeline as he endured all that Dwayne Thorton had inflicted on him.  Shalimar found it distressingly easy to imagine her gentle friend clutching those words to him like a mental teddy bear, holding them close to his heart, giving him some meager comfort in the hell he had endured.  

Unconsciously humming along with the CD still playing in the background, the blonde feral resumed her ministrations to her injured teammate.  It was several minutes before she realized she'd relaxed far more than was likely given the circumstances, and she stole a quick glance around, spying Emma sitting with her eyes closed in a patch of sunlight.  It dawned on her that this sense of calm she'd developed had little to do with the situation and a lot to do with her psionic teammate's ability.  Daring to hope, she turned her attention back to Jesse.

While Shalimar's wish that her oldest friend was coming back to himself under Emma's influence was not to be, she did note that he seemed less stressed than he had been.  The lines surrounding the tightly closed eyes had softened a little, and the trembling had eased to an occasional faint shudder.  She glanced up to find Adam just outside the bars of the cage, studying Jesse intently.  Their mentor caught Shal's gaze with an encouraging look, then hastily scratched out a question on the small pad of paper he had in his hand.

"He is calmer?"  The note asked.

At Shalimar's nod of agreement, a considering look passed over Adam's face before he jotted down another message.

"Let's tranq him and get him home.  What do you think?"

The feral pondered the suggestion for a moment, then gave a quick thumbs up in agreement.  She worried that Jesse would be aware enough to understand that she'd 'betrayed' him, but the potential benefits of getting him to a safe environment outweighed that risk in her opinion.  When Adam returned with an injection for her to administer, she didn't hesitate to take it from him.

Never altering her words or activities, she cleaned a spot on his upper arm and deftly injected the contents of the syringe.  Even with her words of comfort and Emma's soothing influence, Jesse stiffened at the moment of injection, letting out a keening wail of misery that sent shivers down Shalimar's spine.  It was a lost, inhuman sound of misery that lasted only a moment but imbedded itself in the other four team member's hearts.  Shalimar held her beloved friend tight even as he slipped into peaceful unconsciousness.

Brennan stood oddly irresolute at the doorway where he'd been when Shalimar gave Jesse the shot.  Unsure of what had happened, he turned to Adam for clarification as Emma stepped up beside their mentor with her own questions plain in her blue eyes.

"Change of plans, guys.  We're going home.  Brennan, give Shalimar a hand with Jesse then come on back and we'll gather up what we need to take with us.  Shal, you stay in the Helix with Jesse.  That shot should knock him out for several hours, but we don't want to take any chances.  Besides, he'll need to be monitored continuously for any complications since we don't know for sure what all was done to him.  Emma, why don't you give me a hand here, we'll get this stuff packed up."  The three new mutants moved to obey without question or comment, a sure sign that all of them were off balance by what had happened.

Brennan moved to Shalimar's side, motioning her to get out of the cage as he took Jesse from her protective embrace.  Deftly maneuvering the smaller man out of the close confines of the cage, the elemental then lifted his unconscious colleague into his arms, shocked at how much weight Jesse had lost.  

Mulwray's long legged stride carried him swiftly up to the Helix, followed closely by the ever protective Shalimar, who assisted the taller man in securing Jesse in one of the back seats of the craft.  After assuring himself his teammate was not only secure, but also as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, Brennan left the unconscious man in Shal's care and returned to assist Emma and Adam.

Less than fifteen minutes later they were airborne again, hurrying back to Sanctuary, the team once again reunited, if only physically.


	3. Part Three Remembering

Author's Notes Part 3:  See part one for disclaimer, etc.  Sorry for the lengthy delay in this, life's been a bit hectic, so I thank you for your patience.  And thank you all for the lovely feedback, it is so much appreciated.  

**An Eye For An Eye, Part Three  
****By Mele**

**  
**  
Shalimar leaned back into the comfortable chair, pulling her legs up and folding them under her lean body. The room was darkened with the artificial 'nighttime' that was meant to simulate the natural night that had fallen outside the Sanctuary's mountain hideaway. They had successfully rescued Jesse several hours before, and now the young man slept the sleep of the heartily drugged on his own bed. During the extensive - and often horrifying - physical exam Adam had given the molecular, Shalimar had ably assisted, holding her emotions in check by sheer willpower. Jess's many injuries had been assessed and treated with as much skill and tenderness as was humanly possible even though he'd been kept in a state of deep unconsciousness throughout.

The blonde feral reached out and tenderly ran her hand over the blanket-covered chest of her teammate, a feeling of protective affection filling her being.  Jesse didn't respond to her touch, not that she'd expected him to.  According to Adam he would be out for at least another six hours; even longer if he decided to repeat the dose in the case of Jesse being too distraught upon awakening.  Shalimar had tended to bathing the molecular while Adam had been concentrating on treating his wounds, so now the young man was both clean and medicated.  Only one real point of dissention came up between the feral and her mentor.

Adam had insisted on leaving the sub-dermal governor in.

Shalimar, with a feral's instinctive hatred of confinement of any sort, had been appalled at the idea of leaving that device in Jesse.  All of them hated the governors, hated that they had ever been invented, hated that Adam had been the one to invent them, and above all hated having one used on them.  Jesse just as much, if not more so, than the others.  

But even faced with that, she could not really fault Adam's logic in leaving the device in place for the time being.  If it were her, or Brennan, or even Emma, he would have been inclined to remove it.  But Jesse's powers made it uniquely difficult to contain the young man in the event he wanted to escape.  And in the condition he was currently in, freedom offered much more danger than was acceptable to any of them.  Until Jesse was himself again, or at the very least demonstrating he was capable of reason and behavior other than instinctual, the governor kept the young man safe.  From others, and from himself.

Shal found her mind wandering as she kept her quiet vigil; wandering back through the years to when she first met the molecular...  

_Nikki had been gone three weeks by then, and Shalimar was still struggling with the missing her friend, combined with an irrational jealousy of Nikki's now normal life.  Ever since she could remember, Shalimar Fox had wanted to have a 'normal' life with friends and school and parents who loved her and cared for her and accepted her for who and what she was.  Living with Adam and Nikki was the closest she had ever come to that dream…then Adam sent the other girl away.  There was a sense of joy that Adam had chosen her over Nikki, but that wasn't enough to offset the dismay that her 'family' had once again been torn asunder._

_Then, barely a week after Nikki had been placed with a new family, Adam brought Jesse to meet Shalimar for the very first time.  The boy that Adam presented far from impressed the fifteen-year-old girl; she thought the thirteen-year-old was scrawny and weak.  He stood in front of her, glancing up timidly from underneath shaggy blond bangs that had been allowed to grow far too long.  Still smarting from the loss of her friend and contemporary, Shalimar just glowered at the youth, taking angry satisfaction from the youngster's look of trepidation._

_Adam wisely allowed time to ease the discomfort between his two young charges, watching only to ensure that they did no harm to each other.  One of the many characteristics Shalimar shared with the feline species was an innate curiosity, and almost despite herself she found she was watching Jesse's activities.  The first time she saw him phase – in response to her startling him, in fact – she was fascinated.  She'd heard of other types of mutations, but she'd only spent a lot of time around other ferals, and this glimpse of a new ability intrigued her._

_The blonde girl managed to contain her curiosity for two days before breaking her self-imposed vow of silence._

_"How did you do that?  Can you walk through anything?  Does it hurt when you do it?  What if you get stuck?" she asked the startled youngster while he sat at his favorite computer console._

_Looking up at the girl with a guarded look Jesse seemed to sink further into his chair as he muttered his reply.  "I'm a freak, didn't they tell you?"  
"Are you calling me a freak?" Shalimar asked, scowling at the younger mutant._

_"N-no," he stammered, glancing up at her with wide eyes._

_"Better not be, cause I can kick your ass.  You're a mutant, like I am.  We're special, we are NOT freaks."   _

_"YOU'RE like me?" the boy asked, obviously doubtful of her claims._

_"I can't go around walking through walls, but I can do other things," she explained with some considerable pride._

_"Like what?"_

_Grinning, Shalimar was more than happy to show off her abilities, scaling the nearby wall and leaping across to perch on a tall bookcase.  Numerous flips and leaps found her crouched carefully on the back of Jesse's chair._

_"Well, what do you think of that?" she asked with a smirk._

_Jesse's blue eyes were full of unfeigned admiration.  "Cool!  How did you do that?" he asked excitedly, standing and looking at her full force in the eyes for the first time._

_"I'm a feral.  It's what I do," she shrugged, trying to act cool but the effect was spoiled by her sudden grin.  "I could teach you how to fight.  I love to fight!" she enthused, dragging Jesse by the hand toward the dojo.  _

_By the end of the day the two young people had forged the beginning of a friendship, and for the first time dinner was punctuated by laughter and - mostly -  good-natured teasing.  It would prove to be a slow process, hampered by the difference in their ages and interests, but gradually they learned to respect and appreciate each other's abilities and aptitudes.  _

_Not without a few mishaps along the way._

_Jesse had never been particularly into sports or other physical activities, preferring the safety of the virtual world for his kicks.  But Shalimar changed all that; encouraging the boy to work out, to learn some martial arts, to hike and swim and run.  Using a combination of teasing, taunting and tormenting, she left him little option but to join her in her activities._

_In turn, Jesse managed to get Shalimar intrigued enough in the computers to at least become more proficient in their use.  She had a mind as quick and agile as her body, so she had little difficulty keeping up with their new resident nerd, as she was prone to calling him when teasing._

_Unfortunately, Shalimar got too enthusiastic her role as workout bully, and during one particularly energetic sparring match she managed to inflame the younger boy's temper.  Without thinking, Jesse massed as Shalimar attacked, and rather than yielding flesh her blows fell on what felt like solid concrete.  Additionally, Jesse swept up and out with his massed right arm to deflect her blows, striking her left arm sharply.  The blonde feral fell to the dojo mat writhing in pain, her broken forearm held cradled against her body as her opponent unmassed._

_The injured feral's shriek of pain brought Adam on the run, to find Jesse anxiously kneeling over the girl who was sitting hunched over, her teeth gritted against the throbbing agony in her lower arm._

_"I didn't mean to!" the young molecular cried out in anguish, his frantic gaze switching between Shalimar and Adam.  "I didn't mean to hurt her!"_

_"We'll talk about that later," Adam replied sternly as he carefully checked the injured girl's arm.  He scooped her gently into his arms, her blonde head resting against his shoulder, her brown eyes squeezed shut at the pain of movement.  _

_A few hours later Shalimar was resting in her bed, her left arm incased in a bright white cast from fingers to shoulder.  She glanced up to see a single tear filled blue eye peering around the doorjamb at her._

_"I'm sorry.  Do you hate me?" _

_"Yes; you fight dirty!  Why'd you do that?  I never hurt you!" Shalimar informed him, her eyes glowing dangerously.  "Go away, I don't want to see you."_

_The younger mutant left without reply, ghosting through a nearby wall when he saw Adam approaching with a serious look.  The older man sighed when he saw the boy disappear, and instead turned his attention to his patient._

_"Feeling any better?" he asked solicitously as he entered her room and took a seat on the edge of the bed._

_"No." _

_"Want to tell me what happened this afternoon?"  He'd not asked her earlier, concentrating instead on treating her injury._

_"We were fighting…you know…practicing.  And he did something and became rock hard, then he hit me," she explained with an aggrieved look._

_"And he's never done that before?"_

_"No.  I didn't even know he could do that," Shal complained._

_"It's not that common, but Jesse can both phase and mass.  It's one of the traits I wanted him for.  But what I'm wondering is why.  Why did he do it this time?" Kane pondered, watching the teenager carefully.  Shalimar was passionate and hot-tempered, but not particularly adept at masking her emotions.  Right now she looked both angry and a bit ashamed._

_"I…I may have gone a little too far in teasing him," she admitted at last, picking at the edge of the cast with her right hand._

_"Hmm…what do you consider 'too far'?" he prompted her._

_"I called him a lily livered freakazoid who couldn't even beat a girl," Shalimar muttered._

_Adam bit back a startled laugh; that was so Shalimar.  He hadn't bothered to tell her much about her new companion, preferring them to discuss matters on their own, but apparently he'd been remiss in mentioning some things.  Though he could not…would not…condone with Jesse had done, he understood how it had happened._

_"Shalimar, I know you pretty well now, and I know how you love to tease, but Jesse is still learning that.  And it's going to take him a while to understand you don't mean any harm with what you say," he began, taking her uninjured hand into his.  "Jesse's had a pretty hard time of it, in that he's never been able to fit in, that he's been ostracized both at home and at school.  He's not like you, not as strong yet, and the constant verbal abuse was hard for him.  His family is wealthy, and they put a lot of emphasis on fitting in, on being normal.  That Jesse developed…special abilities…they didn't understand that.  Couldn't accept it.  Couldn't accept him.  You know how that is, right?  He became the family's dirty little secret, and he was made well aware of their feeling in this"_

_He paused, considering, while Shalimar looked up at him with an unreadable expression._

_"I'm not saying it's okay, Shal.  And he'll be getting one of my patented 'Adam Kane Special' lectures, to say nothing of hours of exercises to learn to control his abilities, but I would like for you to consider giving him another chance.  I know he feels terrible about hurting you; nothing I read or heard about his past indicates a tendency to strike out at others.  In fact, everything seems to indicate he takes things very much to heart but reacts passively.  I know he hurt you, and I know you didn't deserve a broken arm, but I'm still asking you to give him another chance."_

_"I'll think about it," the feral agreed at last, a frown marring her forehead.  "Did his parents send him to you to get rid of him?"_

_"Sort of."_

_"I'll think about it," she reiterated, lying back down and rolling over onto her uninjured side.  _

_"Thank you," Adam whispered, patting her shoulder and heading out to round up his newest charge._

_He found the young molecular curled up in one of the large chairs in the rec room, bony knees pulled up under his chin.  Adam took a seat across from him and considered the youth with a sigh._

_"Are you going to send me back?" Jesse ventured at last._

_"Should I?" _

_"I didn't mean to hurt her, honest."  _

_"Want to tell me what happened?" Kane requested._

_"She called me a freak," the boy murmured, staring at his knees with a frown.  "Just because I wouldn't fight with her because she always wins.  I'm tired of losing every fight with her, and then she called me a freak just like everyone always does and I guess…I guess I thought that going hard was one way I could win.  I didn't mean to hit out at her, I know that's bad, that I should never do that."_

_"Never do what?" Adam queried._

_"Never go hard like that.  It's bad to do, just like going ghost is.  It's bad, and I guess that's why I'm here, so I can learn how not to do that and how to be normal, right?"_

_"That's not why you're here, Jesse.  I thought you understood.  You're here to learn how to CONTROL your powers, not suppress them.  Your abilities aren't 'bad'.  YOU aren't bad."_

_"So I'm not here so you can de-freak me?"_

_"Not at all.  And you are NOT a freak.  Someday, I think you'll be able to do a lot of good with your abilities, and I'm here to help you reach that goal.  And the first part of that training is learning how your abilities work, and what you can…and cannot…do.  AND to teach you the consequences of misuse of your powers…"_

Jesse slumped back in his seat as Adam began his lecture with a no-nonsense scolding about the dangers of massing in a fight.  An hour later Adam finally left the teen to contemplate his comments and how he might go about making up with Shalimar….

A slight movement from the silent figure on the bed brought Shalimar back from her contemplations, and she anxiously leaned forward, looking to see if her friend was finally waking up.  But after a couple of restless twitches, Jesse settled back down, still deeply under the influence of the sedative, and his companion went back to her thoughts.

Even now the memory of Jesse's fumbling attempts to grant Shal's every little wish as her arm healed brought a smile to the feral's lips.  He'd been so sincere in his efforts!  And only Adam's intervention had kept her from taking full advantage of it, for which she was grateful in retrospect.

From that point on their friendship grew on a daily basis, and as the days built into months and the months into years, they became all the family either of them wanted or needed.  Just as he had done with the half starved, wild child that Shalimar had been, Adam groomed Jesse into a strong, capable young man, confident of his abilities.  

He learned to use his mutations to provide protection for his teammates, something he took great pride in.  He was their master of the stealth approach, and the mobile armor they could take anywhere.  As his sense of self worth grew, his personality emerged; full of good humor, a dry wit, headstrong courage and gentle affection.  

However, he still had bouts of severe self-doubt, most often aggravated by the addition of a new person into his world.  Shal chuckled to herself at the thought of how Jesse just HAD to resist Brennan's lead, even when he obviously agreed with the older man's suggestions.  It was SO typical of her friend.

Lost in her thoughts again, she was startled when she glanced over at Jesse and found two blue eyes watching her with a look of fear.

"Jesse, it's okay now, you're safe, back in Sanctuary.  No one is going to hurt you.  We've been so worried about you," she told him softly, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

The effect was as immediate as it was unexpected.  The molecular pushed her away then rolled off the far side of the bed, scuttling into the nearest corner where he pulled his knees to his chest and started rocking.  Once more she heard the words she'd hoped to never have to hear again…

"I'm not a freak, I am special and wanted and loved.  I'm not a freak, I am special and…"

TBC


	4. Part Four Night time

Author's Notes:  Thank you for the wonderful reviews.  I apologize for taking so long to post again.  Real life has remained hectic…I promise to try to do better in the future. K.

**An Eye For An Eye, Part Three  
****By Mele**

Adam's quarters were well separated from the others' rooms, on the far side of Sanctuary, a two-room suite with a private bath.  He kept a fairly impressive array of electronic equipment - he refused to call them 'toys' - for those times when he wanted entertainment or to research privately.  Among the up-to-the-second technology, sitting like a Model T surrounded by Ferraris, was an old fashioned Video Cassette Player.  If Adam had a secret vice, it was a fondness for a wide variety of older, cheesy, movies; the cheesier the better.  And most of them had not made the jump from VCR to DVD, hence the player.  

He didn't know why Dwayne had opted to use the older technology in making his recordings, but it was a moot point.  The man had.  And it turned out to be convenient, since Adam had the appropriate means to view them without having to first transfer the tapes to a newer media.

After treating Jesse's many injuries, and leaving the still unconscious molecular under Shalimar's care, Kane had slipped back to the Double Helix to remove the sealed box of cassettes.  After dropping it off in his quarters, he checked in with Shalimar, and found the blonde feral resting at Jesse's bedside, and it didn't take ESP to know she had no intention of moving anytime soon.  He whispered a goodnight to the young woman, telling her to call him via the comlink if there were any problems, then went in search of the other two team members.  

He found Brennan at a computer console, engrossed in some sort of research, while Emma sat in a corner, meditating.  They both asked about Jess, and after reassuring them that the molecular was doing as well as possible, he'd suggested - firmly - that they get some rest.  Reluctantly, they both complied.

With his young team safe and secure for the time being, Adam locked the entrance to his quarters and activated the privacy device he'd installed recently.  It effectively blocked Emma from reading him, could prevent Jesse from phasing in, would even withstand a jolt from Brennan, if necessary.  Though he loved and trusted the members of Mutant X, a deeply private, paranoid part of his personality required definite protection against uninvited company.  He wasn't particularly proud of this character trait, but he'd learned it was easier to accommodate it. 

Secluded in his sanctuary within Sanctuary, he poured himself a glass of wine before removing the tapes from the box, and stacking them neatly beside the VCP.  Eleven rectangular boxes, numbered sequentially, representing sixty-six hours in a young man's life.  Adam picked up number one, turning the innocent looking item over in his hands, and wondered again at this nearly compulsive need he felt to view the tapes.  He'd examined Jesse, he'd seen where the molecular had been held, he knew - _knew - _what had been done to him.  So why did he feel so strongly about viewing the recordings of the events?

Kane understood that Thorton wanted revenge for some perceived injustice, and had used Jesse for that purpose.  And therein rested the reason Adam was compelled to view the tapes; if he didn't…if he simply destroyed the tapes without viewing them…that would make it somehow worse.  As if the horrors Jess had endured had been ultimately for nothing.  It was not particularly logical, but Adam couldn't shake the feeling he owed at least this much to his injured charge.

Disgusted with his own attempts at procrastination, he pulled the cassette from the case and inserted it almost viciously into the machine.  Settling back in his leather lounge chair, he turned on the television and hit the 'play' button on the remote.  After a few seconds of static, Dwayne Thorton's face filled the screen.

"Hello, Adam.  If you're watching this then I have to surmise you finally got your head out of your ass and figured out who I am.  And you've retrieved your young man.  And I can almost picture that oh-so-earnest look you get, wondering what you did to deserve such a thing happening to you.  As I'm sure I've already mentioned, Mr. Kilmartin is inconsequential to events, just a means to an end.  And what is that end?  Why, retribution, of course.  You took my son, I'll take yours.  Or as close to a son as a cold bastard like you can ever hope to get.  Confused?  Sit down, make yourself comfortable, and I'll explain.

You remember Nancy?  My beautiful, graceful Nancy?  We had a wonderful first year of marriage; our lives were busy, fulfilled, satisfying.  I didn't believe anything could make me happier, but I was wrong.  Shortly after our first anniversary, she told me she was pregnant.  How she glowed with that news!  As for me; I walked around in a smiling daze for weeks.  We started setting up a nursery, Nancy even took up knitting, much to my amusement.  There's just something about seeing a scientist like she was knitting little blue booties.  It was the happiest time I can ever remember in my life.  Then, seven months pregnant, she was diagnosed with a disease that threatened her and our unborn child's life.  A disease that conventional medicine could not cure.  But my bosses, hearing about Nan's health problems, offered their assistance.  What choice did we really have?  The baby would certainly die, and Nancy might die with him.  We agreed to treatment, and two months later Danny was born. 

It's a shame you've never had a child, Adam.  It is a most…remarkable…experience.  Because of the problems she'd had, Nancy had a Caesarean section, so the baby didn't have that smushed up look a vaginal birth gives infants.  No, our Danny was beautiful from the get-go.  Big blue eyes, golden curls, a dimple in his left cheek.  When he smiled, not even the most hardened curmudgeon could help but to smile back.  He was magic.  Then he started to walk."  The face on the tape sobered, his gaze hardening again.

"I don't think Daniel ever crawled, he started walking at an obscenely early age, and with mobility, came the first symptoms of his mutancy.  He was a feral, with preternatural balance and agility, and a strength and temper far beyond his years.  When he was five years old he broke a twelve year old's arm.  In three places.  He lasted less than a week in public school.  Of course, we had no idea what his problem was, in those days things were being kept secret.  We took him from doctor to doctor, had him seeing a shrink when he was four years old, for God's sake!  He was barely verbal and we had him seeing a shrink.  It was a never-ending nightmare, our own personal hell.  Our marriage was strained to the point of breaking, all our friends had forsaken us, we were broke, I'd lost my job.  We moved almost yearly, always seeking a way to help our boy, a new treatment in a new city.  And none of them worked."

"In San Francisco, at age fifteen, Danny beat a neighborhood boy into a coma, an act that eventually landed him in a mental institute.  First, they tried to 'counsel' him; a euphemism for 'beating the crap out of him.'  When that didn't work - when they found he fought back - they changed tactics.  They kept him drugged to the point of incoherency, but at least he wasn't hurting anyone.  When we threatened to expose their practices, they threatened to expose our son.  Then, we heard of a new place, in New York, and after much debate, more than a few threats and unscrupulous deals, and enough red tape to meet the city's needs at Christmas, we got Danny transferred there.  There they weaned him from the drugs, tried to teach him control, but…it was too late.  He had been through too much.  He escaped, ran away, and in his panicked state, fell from a freeway overpass in front of a truck hauling fuel.  Our only solace was that he probably didn't suffer but was killed instantly.  They called his death a suicide, but I called it murder."  Thorton paused to rub a hand over his eyes, then continued, his voice growing even colder.

"Now, I know what you're thinking: what does this have to do with you?  I'm getting to that.  Nancy never recovered from Danny's death - hell, she never recovered from his life, for that matter.  Her spirit had died years before, and shortly after we lost Danny, her body followed.  I was alone, and finally took the time to really LOOK at what had happened.  I started researching, trying to figure out how your lives had gone to hell in a hand basket, and that's when I got reacquainted with you, my friend." Thorton's voice fairly dripped sarcasm.

"You and your wonderful, life altering, DNA manipulations.  Saving lives, that's how you chose to promote your work.  More like ruining lives.  Mine…Nancy's…Danny's.  You destroyed my family, so I'll destroy yours. Starting with young Mr. Kilmartin.  You know, maybe I was wrong thinking this boy would be a poor test subject.  See, I'd really wanted your feral, even though it's a woman.  Seemed more poetically just.  But now I see a certain cosmic logic in it being this poor little rich boy.  Noah Kilmartin's progeny.  Now there's a fellow that's a piece of work…no scruples and no qualms about anyone knowing that."

"Anyway, enough of my chatter, I'll have more to say later, I'm sure, but for now your molecular is waiting on us, so let's do the polite thing, shall we, and satisfy his curiosity."

There was a moment's static, then a clear shot of Jesse in the cage, sitting near the middle, one hand holding a bar of the enclosure to his right.  Though disheveled and nude, he didn't appear injured; just thoroughly pissed off, though Adam knew him well enough to see a trace of the fear under the anger.

"What do you think you're going to get from me?" Jess demanded, glaring at his captor and subtly shifting to a more aggressive stance.

Thorton didn't answer, just stepped up to the console a few feet in front of the cage and threw a switch.  A familiar humming noise accompanied the mid-range voltage that ran through the bars of the cage, shocking Jesse, causing him to jerk and jump in his attempt to avoid the painful sensations.  It was then that Adam realized that the molecular's right arm was handcuffed to the side bar, presumably to keep the young man within reach of whatever Thorton wanted to do.

With a faintly disgusted look, Dwayne approached his prisoner carrying a bucket of water, which he threw on Jesse.  Moments later when he turned the electric current back on he was rewarded by the first cry of pain from his captive.

Feeling sick, Adam hit the fast forward button on the remote.

~*~

Though Emma had grown accustomed to the peace and unnatural quiet that was Sanctuary at night, it was still the time she most missed the natural sounds of the world outside.  The chirrup of crickets, the soft whisper of wind in the trees, even the hum-rumble of passing vehicles.  The sounds of life outside her own immediate sphere.  In Sanctuary, though, there was only the faint, white noise of machinery working round the clock, and a mere hint of the presence of her teammates and surrogate family.

But thanks to Emma's particular mutant talent, she could 'hear'…albeit mentally…her teammates if she so desired.  Or, sometimes, even if she did not so desire, as she'd found out long ago.  This night, however, was quiet even to Emma.  Shalimar and Jesse were still sleeping, it seemed, and Adam had that blocker of his turned on.  Reaching out mentally for Brennan, she found his thoughts and feelings a swirling mass of black and grey, shot through with the bright red of anger.  Pulling on her jeans and a plain white T-shirt, she set out in search of the elemental.

Following her instincts to the garage, she fully expected to find Brennan working on his car or the motorcycle, as he often did when upset.  Instead she found Mulwray hunched over the computer in the corner of the large area, his scowling face eerily illuminated by the flickering images on the screen.  Emma purposely clumped her feet to alert him to her presence as she crossed over to join him.

"I wasn't surprised to find you down here, but I do have to admit I'm surprised to find you on the computer," she commented quietly.

"Couldn't sleep," was the elemental's terse reply.

"I kind of figured that."  A few moments passed quietly as Emma watched a series of map graphics cross the screen in front of them.  "What are you looking for?" she asked at last.

"There were no signs that Thorton was living in the same building where he was holding Jesse.  No computer hook up, no bed, nothing.  So I'm thinking he may have had another place nearby where he lived while he had Jess.  I'm cross-referencing who owns what buildings near there, rental histories, stuff like that.  No way did Thorton have enough time to pull out before we showed up; I think he's still in the area.  When it gets light I'm going to go look," Brennan explained calmly.

"And, if you find him?"  
"I don't think you want to know."  There was no warmth or humor in Brennan's dark eyes.

"I don't think you have to tell me," the psionic replied dryly.  "You know that won't help Jesse any."

"Might help me."  

"Brennan, we need to find Thorton, yes.  But we need to find him and bring him here, give Jesse a chance to deal with this however he needs to.  I know you're angry - and don't give me that look, anyone who knows you would be able to see your anger - but I think we need to think of Jesse first, don't you?"  Emma's expression was soft and serious; impossible for the elemental to fight.

"Okay.  We find him for Jess.  THEN I get to kill him," the tall man grumbled, turning his attention back to the computer. Emma smiled, not fooled by Mulwray's grumbling; he was now focused on his friend, instead of on himself, which was exactly what she intended.  Brennan's hot temper could be a problem, but one sure fire way of circumventing it was to turn his attention on someone other than himself.  The elemental's sense of loyalty and honor was stronger than his temper, and once his considerable energy and determination was directed, he was a force to be reckoned with.  

Combined with Emma's special abilities, Dwayne Thorton would not stand a chance.

~*~

Shalimar sat back on her heels, barely a foot away from her distraught friend and teammate, who sat rocking himself and mumbling his mantra over and over.  The feral had barely touched Jesse's shoulder and this was how he'd reacted.  Worried, she brought her comlink up near her mouth, intending to summon Adam, but a vague instinct stopped her short.  What could Adam do that she could not, except drug the young man back to unconsciousness?  Would that be better for Jesse in the long run?

Shalimar just couldn't believe drugs and restraints were the answer if they wanted Jesse to recover from his ordeal.  Somehow she had to break through his hysteria and reach the part of him that had been her friend for the last fifteen years.  Acting on impulse, not bothering to analyze where the idea came from, she matched his motions, mirroring him silently.  Once she caught the rhythm, she added her own vocals to his, changing it only slightly, speaking loudly enough to be easily heard by her companion.

"You are not a freak, you are special and wanted and loved. You are not a freak, you are special and wanted and loved…."

How long she rocked at Kilmartin's side she didn't know, but gradually she became aware of his gaze darting over to her in confusion.  She gave no indication that she saw his glances; she simply rocked and chanted, eventually coming to realize the strange attraction the activity had.  It was oddly soothing she discovered, and soon her mind wandered again, so much so that she almost missed it when Jess stopped moving.

It was only a moment before she noticed the cessation of movement and almost reluctantly stopped herself, turning her full attention to the young man next to her.  They both continued their odd chant, but Jesse was now blatantly watching Shalimar, the fear in his eyes noticeably less.  Still whispering his mantra, he reached out one trembling hand for the feral, who remained perfectly still echoing his words almost soundlessly.  

The shaky touch landed first on Shal's upper arm, then traveled with exquisite slowness across the top of her shoulder to carefully grasp a tendril of blonde hair.  Jesse seemed mesmerized by the soft strands, rubbing them between his fingers before growing bolder and softly stroking the gleaming locks.  Gradually his gaze traveled from the light hair to the young woman's dark eyes, and an expression of uncertainty appeared on his face.

"Shal?" he asked in a breathy whisper.

Her breath huffed out is a gentle sobbing sigh, as tears gathered in her eyes.  "Yes, Jess, it's me.  You're home now, you're safe."

"Shal?  I like this dream," he sighed, curling to his side, toward his companion, until he was reclining on his less injured side, his head resting in Shalimar's lap.  "I don't wanna wake up from this one," he murmured as his eyes slipped closed.  "I don't wanna wake up." 

"Rest now, Jesse, just rest.  When you wake up, I'll still be here," she promised, stroking his hair with a tender expression on her face.  Jesse was calm, had seemed close to touching on reality, so Shalimar allowed herself to hope that there was still enough of her friend left to allow him to find his way back.  There had to be; the alternative was simply not acceptable.

TBC


	5. Part Five Morning comes

**_Author's Notes:_**_  As always, thank you for the comments, they help inspire me.  Just a fair warning that the next update may be even later than usual due to upcoming surgery.  Will do my best to update at one more time before then.  Hope you all enjoy this bit…_

An Eye for An Eye Part Five 

"Okay, I think I have everything we need," Brennan announced, turning away from the computer with a satisfied look on his face.  

"What did you come up with?" Emma asked, coming to stand by his shoulder.

"Well, let's see, I have a fairly current picture of Mr. Thorton, courtesy of the State of New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles.  I have a listing of rentals within a two mile radius of where Jesse was held, and a cross reference of which ones had space or units for rent in the last six months.  I have the statewide dealers for some of the hardware and equipment we found in there, including a list of suppliers in the city itself.  Plenty of clues to follow up on, I'd say.  Feel up to doing some sleuthing?" he asked with a gleam in his dark eyes.

"Absolutely.  But first we have to let the others know where we're going.  I'll go check in with Shal, why don't you talk to Adam?" Emma suggested, leading the way to the exit from the garage back into the main living area of Sanctuary.

"Good enough.  I'm going to grab a shower and change, as well.  Let's say we meet at the Double Helix in a half hour?" Brennan proposed.

"I'll be there."

With a wave at the elemental, Emma strode toward their living quarters, already reaching out mentally to check on her two friends.  The redhead paused outside the door to Jesse's quarters, and took a deep breath before gently knocking.  Quietly she pushed to door partway open and peeked inside, already knowing that Jesse was asleep but Shalimar was awake.  Seeing Shal's dark eyes peering at her from beyond the now empty bed, Emma crept to a position where she could see them both; close enough for her to speak to the feral, but not so close as to alert or upset Jesse.

"He's doing better," Emma whispered, smiling at her friend conspiratorially.  "You're doing great."

"I wish I felt as confident," the blonde sighed, her hand still stroking Jesse's light hair unconsciously.  

"Shal, I feel him again, and I couldn't before.  I won't lie to you; he's hurt and scared - more than I've ever felt before - but there are hints of Jesse again.  It's amazing you were able to reach him as quickly as you have.  He loves and trusts you so much," the psionic insisted, her own eyes dimmed as she gazed at their injured friend.

"I just hope it's enough.  It's so hard though, what I really want to do is get to the bastard who did this to him.  Make ME feel better," Shalimar confessed.

"I suppose this isn't the best time to tell you that Brennan and I are heading out to find Thorton, is it?" 

"You guys going for revenge, or just to capture him?"  Shal's brown eyes glowed with anger.

"Just capture, for now.  I'm thinking Jesse should have the opportunity to at least have a say in what happens to Thorton.  It might be important to his recovery, to give him a sense of some sort of closure," Emma explained.

"_Brennan_ is going along with the 'just capture' him idea?" Shalimar scoffed.

"That's why I'm going with," the psionic smirked, pleased to see Shal's spirits lift, even if only for a short time.

"Good.  Because I want my chance with him as well," the feral insisted, her hand never faltering in its comforting motions.  "I want him to know what it feels like to be captured, alone, scared, and tortured.  I want him to scream and beg and cry.  I want him to suffer ten times the pain he put Jesse through, then maybe justice could be served when I tear out his throat."

Emma had to smile at the dichotomy of her best friend's words and actions.  "You're the only person I know who can make a death threat seem so comforting," she grinned.

Shalimar's return smile was subdued. "You two be careful, okay?  We can't afford to lose you."

"We will."  Emma gave a last, lingering look at the sleeping molecular, then slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her.  Deciding Brennan had the right idea about cleaning up before they went out, Emma detoured to her own quarters for a quick shower and change before heading to the Double Helix.

~*~

While Emma had been talking with Shalimar, Brennan had made his way down to Adam's private quarters, waiting until he was outside to hail the older man.  Expecting that Adam would still be resting, if not sleeping, the elemental was surprised when the door to their mentor's rooms opened less than a minute after he called.  Kane was still dressed in the same clothes he'd been wearing the last time Brennan had seen him, and the older man's dark eyes were red rimmed and sunken looking.  It appeared the Mutant X founder had aged a couple of decades in less than seven hours.

"What can I do for you, Brennan," the older man asked just short of brusquely.

"Just wanted to let you know Emma and I are going out for a while," Mulwray replied neutrally.

"And where do you two think you're going?"

"We're going to look for Thorton, hopefully before he has a chance to make a complete escape.  I somehow don't think he's going to simply sit around and wait for us to come find him.  Hell, it's probably already too late," Brennan explained.

"And if you find him?" Adam asked, ignoring the implied criticism.

"We bring him back here.  Emma seems to think Jesse should have a chance to face him again, and I'll go along with that for now," the elemental said.

Adam sighed, running a hand over his mussed dark hair and frowning.  "Okay, I guess that should be okay.  But, Brennan, Emma is right.  Bring him back here alive, for all our sakes."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," the younger man grumbled, before his expression softened to one of concern.  "Are you okay, man?  You don't look so good."

For a brief moment Kane debated telling the young man who'd become essentially his second-in-command what he'd spent the sleepless night watching, but ultimately he decided against it.  It would not be a good idea to make Brennan any angrier than he already was, and it also felt uncomfortably close to betrayal to tell anyone about the tapes.  Jesse had had almost every visage of dignity stripped from him; it wasn't in Adam to take this last bit away from the young molecular.

"I'm fine," he replied at last.  "Listen, I want you two to call me when you locate Thorton, before you approach him, okay?"

"You aren't going to talk us out of this…" Brennan started, only to be stopped by Adam's raised hand.

"I realize that.  I simply want to have open contact with you when you take him.  Call me overcautious, but we can't afford for anyone else to become his captive.  Understood?"

"Understood."

~*~

Relieved to finally be on the move and doing something more productive than waiting for Shalimar and Adam to heal Jesse, Brennan grinned at Emma as they pulled up in front of a specialty construction supply outlet.  Deciding it would be easier if they could get an actual address on Thorton, they elected to try and trace the equipment used first.

Emma slipped on her glasses, having tied her red hair into a neat bun at the back of her neck, a few wisps of copper colored silk curling in feigned disarray beside her face.  A simple white jacket over her blouse and pants gave a casually professional air to the young woman's 'disguise'.  Brennan donned a plain tie that complemented his long sleeved button down shirt, and grabbed a briefcase from the back seat of the car.  Nodding to his companion, they entered the business and looked around curiously until they were approached by a red-jacketed employee.

"Can I help you folks?" he asked.

"I hope so," Emma replied in that subtly sensual way she had when she wanted to ease information from someone.  "My research mentor, Dwayne Thorton has bought a lot of equipment from this shop, and he sent me to order some more," she lied smoothly, slipping easily into a slightly haughty demeanor to throw the salesman off balance.

"Dwayne Thorton…Thorton…the name does sound familiar," the clerk, whose nametag read simply 'Eddie', mused.

"About six feet tall, big fellow, dark hair and eyes," Emma prompted.  "A small scar under his left eye."  Thank God the picture had been clear enough to show that detail.

"Oh, yeah, now I remember him.  He bought a ton of stuff from us.  He needs more?"  Eddie's hazel eyes all but glowed at the potential commission.

"Yes, he needs to modify some of the equipment to specific applications.  Here's a list of what he's looking for," the psionic replied, handing over a list Brennan had put together.  "He would like it charged to his account."

"No problem, I'm sure," Eddie agreed readily, recognizing some high priced technology on the list.  

"By the way, he wanted to make sure you weren't still using his old Mayfield Avenue address," she commented casually as they neared a service island in the large store.

"Let me look it up," the clerk said agreeably enough.  "Won't take but a second."  He quickly accessed their system and much to Emma and Brennan's delight Thorton's name popped up.  "No, we have his address as 2384 Sycamore.  Is that correct?" 

"That's it," Emma smiled in reply.  "Tell you what, how about you gather the order and we'll just look around?" she suggested.

"That sounds good.  If you have any questions just give me a holler. I'll come and find you when the order is ready," Eddie proposed with a wide grin.

"Perfect."

And when Eddie had located all the requested items and totaled them up, he discovered his two customers were nowhere to be found.

~*~

Jesse's world had narrowed to a small oasis of memory deep within his mind; a place he could retreat to far away from the pain and despair that his waking life had become.  At first he'd made the occasional forays back to the 'outside' world, only to find ever more agony and horror, necessitating a hasty retreat.  Eventually he stopped wondering about the universe beyond the confines of his sanctuary; he heard only echoes and whispers from the outside, which were easily ignored.  The once soothing mantra he'd kept up became little more than meaningless syllables with a significance he no longer understood, chanted by habit only.

The connection between his physical self and his spirit grew weaker with each passing hour.  As his physical condition had deteriorated his dependence on his mental refuge increased, until he could scarcely remember who or what he used to be…before.  That was the designation of time his fragmented mind used; 'before' and 'now'.  Before was warm, soft…comfortable.  Now was harsh, hateful, dark pain in endless cycles swirling around his refuge.  Before was a dream, a memory sweet with joy and strength.  Now was the endless, mindless plodding of time, endured without anticipation.  

Before was hope.  Now was misery. 

Then something changed.

At first the change was so subtle, so slight, that Jess barely noticed it.  The noise surrounding his haven decreased slightly.  The darkness lightened marginally.  There was even a time of unawareness, a sensation he vaguely recalled as sleep.  Memories of a place he'd called home and a young woman he'd called friend suffused his mind, tempting him to consider attempting contact with the outside world again.

If only he could be sure it was safe, that the madman who had captured him was finally, fully gone.   Unbidden, memories of his treatment at Thorton's hands invaded his mind; pain, humiliation, and fear delivered nonstop.  That was what waited outside the sanctuary of his mind.

No, it was prudent to stay within, he decided.  Much as he treasured the memory of the blonde woman with the warm eyes and gentle hands, it was too dangerous out 'there'.  

Best to stay safely inside.

~*~

2384 Sycamore boasted a small white house trimmed with sun-faded blue, and topped with age-pocked aluminum.  The entire dwelling had a distinct eastern tilt, and over half the stones in the walk leading to the front door were missing.  Brennan took a look around, noting the dark blue van parked in the street in front, a light dusting of dirt from the road where he abducted Jesse still visible.  The elemental's mind provided the cynical suggestion that the man had been too busy since then to bother washing his vehicle.

Emma stood motionless beside him, focusing her mind on the interior of the house, trying to get a fix on the occupant.  Puzzled, she turned to her companion, a frown marring her smooth brow.

"He's inside.  He knows we're here, but he doesn't care.  It's almost as if he's been waiting for us to show up," she reported.

"He probably has been doing just that," Brennan replied.

"What makes you think so?  Personally, I'd think he'd want to be as far away from here as possible; he must know we're not exactly here to thank him."

"I'm sure he knows that.  And I'd be willing to wager that when he first came up with this plan, he did intend to bail as soon as we found Jesse.  And he would have…if Jess had been his intended victim," Mulwray explained.

"I'm not sure I follow," Emma confessed, her puzzled gaze encouraging the tall man to clarify his theory.

"What did Thorton want, above all else?  Revenge against Adam, right?  And hurting Jesse definitely did that.  But…Thorton didn't get to enjoy it - not really.  He thought it would be enough, but it wasn't.  He feels Adam hurt him; hurt him badly in a very personal way.  That means he will only be satisfied if he can witness Adam's pain, he needs evidence of his misery, just knowing it exists will not be enough.  It's not personal enough.  Hence, he needs to get to Adam, and what better way than to allow himself to be captured by us?"

Emma shuddered slightly.  "I don't know what's worse; that there are people that actually feel that way or that you were so easily able to come up with that theory."

"Go with your first choice," the dark haired man grinned disarmingly.

"Okay, then.  Let's go see if your theory is correct, shall we?"

"Ladies first."  A half bow and a broad sweep of a well-muscled arm accompanied the invitation.  

In the end it was all so very anticlimactic; Dwayne Thorton was indeed expecting them, even had brewed enough tea for three, just in case his captors felt like some refreshment before they took off.  Within five minutes they Double Helix was on its way back to Sanctuary, with Thorton secured to his seat by the restraints Brennan had taken much pleasure in attaching.  

tbc


	6. Part Six First steps

**_Author's notes:_**_  Oh, boy…bad me.  Took way too long to update.  In fact it's been so long, I'd best remind those just checking back in that this is set early to mid Season Two.  Before Emma started displaying her 'darker side' and long before Adam became a psuedo bad guy.  Though I'm quite enjoying Season Three, I rather miss the more 'innocent' days of Mutant X._

An Eye for An Eye 

**Part Six**

**By Mele**

Using a combination of sheer strength and gentle persuasion, Shalimar had finally managed to maneuver Jesse back into his bed.  The young man had seemed to touch - at least briefly - on reality, but had since retreated back into whatever haven he'd found deep within his own mind.  Still, at last Shalimar had reason to hope, and renewed optimism led her to contemplate ways she could further reach her oldest friend and teammate.

A fragment of a long ago class wandered through her conscious mind, Adam's calm voice explaining the close correlation between the sense of smell and memory.  How scent, more than any other sense, could trigger memories; both good and bad.  What could Shalimar provide that had a strong enough smell to trip start Jesse's memory and would have pleasant connotations for the young man?

The answer was so simple she nearly leapt from her perch at Jesse's side in her anxiety to implement her plan.  However, logic - and the fear that Jesse would be terrified to wake and find himself alone - led her to pause and take some precautions.  Opening her comlink, she set the volume to max and laid the ring on the bedside table, thus assuring her that she would hear if the molecular stirred.  Only then did she ease herself from his side and make her stealthy way to the storeroom where the supplies she needed were kept. 

Adam kept a very complete and varied larder, including any and all foods that he could store that were particular treats for his young team.  Brennan's preferred brand of hi-protein mix shared shelf space with Emma's favorite cookies, made by a small bakery in Minnesota.  Shalimar herself had a considerable stash of fruit stuffed pastries, a treat the health conscious woman rarely allowed herself.  And down in the corner was a large package of hot apple cider mix, a childhood treat Jesse still loved.  He'd told Shalimar once, long ago, that the mere smell of the apple and cinnamon concoction brought up happy memories of his childhood.  

Shalimar could just picture a young Jesse-flushed from playing in the snow, bundled in a heavy parka and wearing a bright red knitted hat on his tousled blond hair.  His blue eyes would be sparkling with joy as the cook handed over the coveted drink, the heat from the mug chasing the chill from childish fingers.  Shaking her head at her flights of fancy, the feral grabbed the necessary ingredients and headed quickly to the kitchen to brew up what she hoped would amount to a bit of benign magic.

~*~

The kitchen was an oasis of softly gleaming silver in the dim lighting of early morning Sanctuary.  Knowing her other two teammates were off in search of Thorton, Shalimar expected to find the room deserted.  Consequently she was startled by Adam's appearance in the doorway shortly after she'd entered.

"You left Jesse alone?" Kane asked quietly.

Wordlessly the feral held up her right hand, where her comlink gleamed.  "I have him patched into mine, so I can hear if he so much as turns over."

"How's he doing?  Any significant change?"

While she waited for the water to boil, Shal filled their mentor in on Jesse's condition, ending with her idea to try and stimulate his memory by using the smell of the hot cider.

"That's a great idea," Adam praised her, not adding that after seeing all that was done to the molecular his sense of smell was probably the only one not tortured in some way.  Inadvertently the feral had found possibly the most effective way to get through the defenses the young man had erected against Thorton's abuse.

Shalimar smiled at his praise, then sobered as she studied the man's worn features.  Though Adam was quite a bit older than the others, he didn't usually look as aged as he did this early morning under the unforgiving glare of the fluorescent lights.  Every instinct told the young woman that Adam had suffered some sort of shock beyond that of having a member of his team kidnapped and tortured.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern evident in her brown eyes.

"It's nothing; just a bad night," he evaded, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the pot that automatically brewed each morning.

Shal gave him a disbelieving look, but a long-standing habit of respect for the older man kept her from arguing.  Besides, her main concern was Jesse.  If Adam wanted to suffer in silence, she didn't have enough energy to dissuade him.  The events of the recent past had been particularly upsetting to Shalimar; her feral instincts of protection and territoriality had been compromised in the most personal way possible.  She was growing ever fonder of Brennan, and her friendship with Emma was in a state of constant growth, but Jesse was the brother of her heart.  They had been through so much together, had a past and a history that the other two new mutants didn't even know about.  Some good, some horrible, but all of it shared.  

That Dwayne Thorton had chosen Jesse to carry out his act of revenge upon ate at the young woman's sense of fairness.  Shades of gray were not Shal's strong point; she tended to see things as right or wrong with little regard for extenuating circumstances.  Especially when it came to acts against someone she cared about.  Noah Kilmartin had earned the feral's undying abhorrence when he callously used his son in an attempt to blackmail Eckert.  Now Dwayne Thorton had earned her undiluted hatred for his acts of brutality against a young man who had done nothing to deserve it.  

Intellect and instinct were constantly at war in Shalimar's being, as all the lessons she'd been taught about compassion and understanding battled against the feral's more basic nature; you do wrong, you pay.  You do wrong to Shalimar or those she cared for, and you pay big.  No excuses accepted.  

The whistle from the teakettle interrupted Shalimar's thoughts, and she turned to the stove with an unexpected feeling of relief.  Adam had surreptitiously watched the play of emotions across the young woman's expressive eyes, knowing from long association the battle within.  He couldn't help but admire the tremendous strides she'd taken, remembering the wild youngster he'd first taken in so many years before.  Time, patience, and – most importantly – love and stability had shaped that child into a woman of extraordinary strength and courage.  The scientist in Kane valued Shalimar for the amazing manifestation of mutation she presented, while the man admired the humanity and spirit she possessed.  

He knew their secrets, even if they didn't know he did.  He knew what Shalimar's father had sentenced his young daughter to; what the child had endured.  He knew from whence Jesse's fears came, understood their power and admired the young man's determined fight against them.   Emma's initial reluctance to recognize her mutations?  Brennan's descent into a life of crime?  Understandable and understood in both cases.  A long ago girlfriend of Adam's had complained bitterly of his aloofness, his holier-than-thou attitude.  It had puzzled him to be accused of that; he worked hard to be understanding and accepting, why didn't others recognize that?  

Couldn't anyone see his pain?

~*~

Brennan settled back into his seat, as the Double Helix made its smooth approach to the hidden entrance to Sanctuary.  Emma flashed him a subdued smile from the seat beside him before she glanced back to check on the status of their prisoner.  Dwayne Thorton hadn't given them a moment's trouble; she couldn't decide just how much that troubled her.  

Thorton didn't flinch when Emma removed the device to temporarily blind him, nor did he respond in any way when Brennan removed his restraints and hauled him to his feet with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.  A sharp nudge by the elemental got the kidnapper moving to disembark from the craft behind Emma.  Despite his obvious attempts at nonchalance, Dwayne couldn't quite hide his interest in the facility Adam had set up.  His gaze wandered around the landing bay, his dawning fascination cooling when he saw Adam standing near an entrance.  

Fascination was replaced by malicious enjoyment of the other man's obvious distress.

Kane forced himself to ignore the man who years ago he'd called friend; instead he kept his attention on his two team members.

"Any problems?" he asked tersely.

"No.  He seemed to be waiting for us, even," Emma reported, stopping by Adam's side and considering their 'guest'.

"Of course I was waiting for you, young lady," Thorton said with quiet scorn.  "How else could I expect to find my old friend?"  That last word was uttered with obvious contempt.  His attention turned to Adam, his tones dripping with false sincerity.  "How've you been Adam?  Enjoying the tapes I left you?"

Emma and Brennan shot a questioning look at their leader, which Kane ignored.  His attention was fully focused on the man who'd kept them in turmoil for over a week.  The young man he'd known - short, intense, and nearly delicate in build - had matured into a stocky older man, who's florid complexion gave the impression of a more than casual acquaintance with alcohol.  The dark eyes that had once sparked with curiosity and intelligence now gleamed with angry hatred, jarringly at odds with the studiously bland expression he maintained.  

That blandness gradually morphed into a new expression; one of smug spite, and in that instant a montage of the scenes Adam had witnessed on the tapes flashed through his mind.  Scenes of torture and torment against a young man he considered nearly as a son; and the civilized, logical part of Kane's mind bowed to the primal need for vengeance.

Adam lunged at Thorton, his strong hands closing with lethal intent around the smaller man's throat.

"No, Adam!"  Having felt the sudden shift in the mental condition of the older man, Emma was the first to realize what was about to happen and the first to react.  Standing at Thorton's side and demanding Adam's attention, she tried to break their mentor's focus and reach the reasonable part of the scientist's mind.

"You can't do this.  You are better than this," she insisted, as Brennan took a more direct approach and attempted to pry Kane's fingers from the choking kidnapper's throat.  After a few moments effort the elemental turned a worried countenance toward the psionic. Nodding grimly, Emma concentrated briefly, then hit Adam with a fairly mild psi blast, breaking his concentration enough to enable Brennan to free Thorton from Kane's deadly grip.

Gasping and choking, Thorton doubled over, turning away from his attacker, his hands frantically rubbing his abused throat.  Brennan kept a close eye on his actions, but made no effort to offer support or assistance.  He didn't want Adam to kill the man, but he didn't mind him suffering some.

Adam was also gasping, but at least sanity had returned to his dark eyes, and he turned to the worried Emma with a rueful expression.  "Thank you.  I shouldn't have let him get to me that way."

"You only did what all of us want to do," she demurred.  "If I didn't think it was important for Jesse's recovery to have him alive, I might not have stopped you." 

Adam gave the young woman a startled look; he had never heard her sound so uncompromising or cold.  Not for the first time he considered there were depths to Emma he could barely guess at.  However, now was not the time to be worrying about that.

"Brennan, why don't you take our…guest…and secure him in the isolation room for now.  Make sure he has food and water available, and make certain the security fields are set on 'high'.  It wouldn't do to underestimate him."

Thorton looked at his former friend with baleful eyes.  "You planning to keep me your prisoner forever, Adam?  You never reported the boy missing to the police, so you can't send me to prison.  You don't have any 'official' recourse, in fact.  Trapped by your own arrogance," he chucked.

"There is more than one kind of prison," Kane countered, his brown eyes hard.  "I could make you long for the traditional kind.  Get him out of here, Brennan."

Laughing at Kane's threat, Thorton made no attempt to break the elemental's firm hold on his arm.  Adam watched the pair until they disappeared around a corner, then turned his attention to the young woman still standing by his side.

"Your control is getting better every day," he noted.

"I'm sorry I did that to you, Adam.  But I didn't see any other options," the psionic explained quietly.

"You were right; there weren't any.  You made the right decision," he assured her.

"What _are_ we going to do with him?" Emma asked, changing the subject.

"Well, like you said, his presence may prove vital to Jesse's recovery.  After that, I guess it will depend on Dwayne himself; how he reacts - whether or not he poses a continued threat to us or to anyone else.  He's not an inherently evil person," Adam noted sadly.

"No, I know he isn't," Emma agreed with a troubled frown.  "In fact, underneath the tough act, I sense more sorrow from him than anything else.  Sorrow, and….confusion.   Not regret, exactly, but maybe a hint of misgiving concerning what he's done.  When he first saw you, I sensed a malicious sort of joy.  But then…even as you were choking him…there was a flash of something different.  Doubt, maybe.  Like…perhaps seeing your pain didn't give him quite the pleasure he expected," she mused, obviously picking her way through the sensations she'd experienced.  

"But even if he's regretting his actions, that doesn't change the fact that he planned this whole thing, and carried it out with singular efficiency," Adam countered with a frown.  "What he did to Jesse…what he put him through… There's no excuse for that."

"What did Thorton mean about you enjoying the 'tapes'?" Brennan asked from the doorway, where he'd obviously been listening for a bit.

Kane sighed wearily, debating briefly the option of giving providing a benign lie in place of the truth, then decided honesty would be the best policy in this case.

"Thorton taped his 'sessions' with Jesse.  I watched them last night," he confessed.

"He _taped_ it?" Mulwray asked incredulously.  "That's sick!"

"You watched them all last night?" Emma queried simultaneously.

"Yes, and yes.  Well, I fast forwarded through a lot, but watched enough to know exactly what was done to Jess.  I needed to know, so I'd be able to treat it," Adam explained.

"How…how bad is it?" Brennan asked with uncharacteristic tentativeness.

"Bad."

"You don't think Jesse can't come back from this, do you?" Brennan wanted to know.

"I think it will take a lot of time, and he may not come back all the way," Adam explained.  "Thorton attacked his sense of worth, his sense of self.  Physically, Jess is well on his way to recovery.  But mentally…we will have to wait and see."  The older man looked ready to expound more on this theory, but a gasp from Emma stopped him.

The psionic had a look of startled expectation on her expressive face as she turned to the two men and uttered a single word.

"Jesse."

~*~

Curiosity is a strange thing; the more one tries to ignore it, the more 'un-ignorable' it becomes.  Jesse knew the outside world held many terrible things; that it was no longer safe to venture outside his mental refuge.  But…he'd thought perhaps things out there had changed.  That maybe he was safe again.  

But then he'd remember what he'd experienced the last few times he'd ventured back out of himself, and that fear would override the tentative hope he'd been experiencing.  Until he started to wonder again…and the cycle would repeat.  

He'd always been the type who couldn't leave things that puzzled him alone.  He'd have to pick and prod and study it until he'd figured it out; only then would he be satisfied.  For all that Shalimar was the 'cat' on the team, even she couldn't compete with Jesse's curiosity.  

This internal debate might have raged on indefinitely, if not for something that tipped the scales.  As his sense of self-preservation was winning the argument with his curiosity, leading him to 'disappear' further within himself, a new factor was introduced; the sweet tangy scent of cinnamon apple.

It tickled at his nose, spreading remembered warmth throughout his body; this was a fragrance that meant home and benevolence and comfort.  Nothing bad could be associated with this smell, and Jesse felt safe for the first time in far, far too long.  This wonderful aroma was all the fortification curiosity needed to win the battle decisively.

Jesse Kilmartin opened his eyes to find the world had indeed straightened itself on its axis.  Shalimar's familiar warm eyes gazed back at him with undisguised affection.

"Jesse?" she asked softly.

"Am I home?" he queried, hope filling his blue eyes.

"God, yes, you're home.  You're safe now, no one can hurt you again," she assured him, pulling him into a gentle hug.

His arms encircled the young woman as he fought for emotional control.  What he'd long since given up hoping for was suddenly a reality; he was back with the family of his heart.  Back where he was accepted – and loved, even – for who he was, without regard to what he could do.  The nightmare of abuse was ended; he knew Shalimar would never lie to him.

The battle against tears was lost before it had fully begun, and it was several minutes before Jesse realized he wasn't the only one in the room crying.

TBC


End file.
